Repo
by Whyareallthegoodpennamesgone
Summary: Gina is a Vietnamese woman with an anger problem. She works for Hell's Repo until she decides there may be more to life than killing people. Rated M for Violence and Language.
1. Venom

There are advantages to dying young and immoral.

I went to Hell after an accidental drug overdose -first time, I was stupid- and I ended up on the Repo Squad.

What do I do? When you promise the Red Guy something, you better be ready to shell out, because if you don't, I show up, ha ha ha ha.

* * *

><p>I walked down the hallway of the L.A. apartment, Venom flexing in the back of my head.<p>

_Hey babydoll. Hey Gina chick._

Not right now.

_Hell, bitch, you wait until I take over tonight. It's gonna be huge._

Shut up.

_You just wait. You're mine._

The door's unlocked, so I just let myself in. "You're Late! We started without you!" Katharine calls. I don't answer. I get to the back room, where a man in a nice suit is strapped to the chair. "Get out. All of you. I'm in a mood," I order. Everybody clears out, but Waldo gives a cough that sounds suspiciously like "PMS!" when he passes me.

Fuck him.

When Waldo shuts the door behind him, I walk over to the man and take the tape off his mouth.

"Oh God! Please let me go! I didn't do it! I know people, you can get money, pretty girl like you can get contracts, get rich, let me-"

"Shut. The Fuck. Up. You think I care? Don't make deals you can't keep," Venom's hissing in the back of my brain, complimenting me and begging to be let out.

No. Not yet.

"That was years ago! I forgot about that!"

I smile at him and start digging through the bag on the floor. "We sure didn't."

"No! You can't do this! Please!"

I hate it. I hate begging, and it's pissing me off, and I feel Venom surging forth, until the barrier breaks. It hurts a bit, feels like I banged my head, then this absolutely beautiful feeling happens. Total Evil Black Venom. Better than love, higher than cocaine, more free than sex.

"Ooh, don't hurt me, please, I've got kids, wah wah wah. Well, you should have thought of that before you got this. You make me SICK to my fucking STOMACH. You and your kind."

I reach deep into the bag and find it. Bowie Knife special's up tonight.

"We all deserve to die. Even you, Missus Lovett, even I," I recite, Venom easing up a bit. The man starts to cry, and Venom is back, full force black hurricane.

And it _rocks._

I start with a simple cut down the side of the face. Then a matching one on the other side. Hopefully that'll stop the tears. The damn things will flow into the cuts and cause pain.

I stab the Bowie knife into his shoulder, and go back to the bag, and get the needle.

A human soul is located just under the sternum. I know what I'm doing, I've been doing this since I was seventeen, and I'm twenty-five now. The man starts to shake, and his eyes go dark.

But he's still there.

"Please." He whispers.

Venom's going away, and I'm feeling shaky.

I take out the Bowie knife and gut him, stomach to chin.

Venom slowly retreats, until I'm left with the slimy residue. I start shaking, and my nose starts running. After such a burst of energy, I'm going through withdrawal.

Tears start running down my face, and I feel exhausted, my head hurts, I just want to drink a gallon of orange juice and sleep for a week.

I hear the door creak open, and then the soft patter of feet.

"Hey, kid," I respond, trying to seem okay, even with my eyeliner running down my face and the floor covered in blood. Artie purrs, standing up to his full height. "I had an angry, but I'm somewhat okay now," looking up at him.

Artie younger than I am, half-demon too (his mum's name is Rosemary, ironic, huh?) with long black hair, tan skin, purple eyes, and bat wings. Standing upright, he's like, seven feet tall or something stupid like that, but usually he just lopes along on all fours.

He also can't talk, vocal chords got messed up.

"What'd they do to you this time, Artie?" I ask softly.

Artie shows me his feet. Usually, because of his appearance Artie gets tortured worse or more than most of us.

The ends of Artie's toes bleed black. They tore out his toenails.

"Sweet Satan, Artie!"

Artie hiccups, and looks down. "Aww. You alright?"

Head shake.

I pull Artie into a hug and let him cry on me, ignoring my pounding headache and exhaustion.

"Wow. Somebody made a mess," Waldo comments, stepping through the door.

"Yeah, you really outdid yourself this time, Gina!" Katharine picks her way around.

Taz and Ditto stare in from the doorway.

"Twins. Get your asses in here. You're cleaning up," Waldo orders.

"_Que?"_ Taz shouts.

"Oh _hel_l no. Gina made mess, Gina clean up," Ditto says, folding his arms.

I love those two. Best eleven year olds since Hit Girl.

"You two are on the squad, and you haven't done anything but jabber in Spanglish since we got here. Get the bleach, you'll need it," Katharine explains.

"Fuck you!" Taz spits, accompanied by a middle finger from her brother.

"Fuck you back. Get moving."

The Twinions bitch and curse all the way to the supply closet.

"How you doing?" Katharine asks me. I'm still holding onto a crying Artie, running on empty after I let the stupid Venom take over my system.

"Bad moment?"

"Yeah." I say. "Ah," Katharine sighs. Katharine's the closest thing I have to a female best friend. We're not BFF's or anything-Bee Eff Eff F YOU!-but Katharine keeps me sane. She's got curly brown hair, and split front teeth, and HUGE boobs. And I'm straight, which says something about them right there.

Waldo looks over at us "How's the dragon lady tonight?"

"That's Racist, Waldo."

"You're asian, and you've got that dragon tattoo, right? Your argument is invalid."

"I'm Vietnamese. Don't slam my tattoo."

My tattoo is indeed, a dragon, it's red and orange and green, starts on the left side of my neck and ends on my left ankle. Taz says it makes me look like a stripper. A high end stripper who carries weapons, but a stripper nonetheless.

Artie finally stops crying, and I feel bad that I wasn't there for him, and I know I'm like a mum- an extremely unstable mum, but more there than his own- to him and the twins. I've always wanted kids, so bad that it hurts sometimes whenever I see some pregnant skank smoking up somewhere, because that kid should be mine, I should be able to feel the kicks and turns and I'd try to get rid of the Venom, I'd go to counseling and shit.

Waldo hauls me up off the floor, the twins come back, grumbling in Spanish-they're actually Mexican- ready to rid the floor of blood and guts using industrial amounts of blood and Mr. Clean.

Artie shows me his injury book. "So, was this better or worse than the exorcism in Mexico?" I ask.

Thumbs up.

"How much better?"

Two thumbs up.

"I'm getting Bleesters," Ditto calls.

"Nobody cares."

* * *

><p>As soon as all the blood's gone, and the body's been, um, taken care of, we all head to where all evil congregates. Not hell. IHop.<p>

"Gorillaz are releasing a new CD!" Taz shouts over a mountain of pancakes. "How the hell can you eat so much?" Katharine asks. Taz shrugs. Taz and Ditto are almost identical. The only differences between them is Ditto is left handed, and gender. They even dress the same.

Both are fanatical Gorillaz people. They say quotes from the band all the damn time, both have memorized Rise of the Ogre, and all the songs are committed to memory.

"Yeah?" Waldo asks.

"Yeah. But I think their guitareest died."

"That was Noodle, right? That's a shame. She was sexy."

Ditto nods in agreement. This would've been similar to every other day that I've had with these people, except that the next day, we went to Laos and fucked up really bad.


	2. Not anymore

Katharine kicks my door open.

"You should get up."

No. Gina no get up. Gina burrow deeper into mattress.

"So, about yesterday..."

"Do we really need to talk about that?" I ask.

"Yes we do. You just gutted that guy, and we could hear what you were saying to him from the other room," Katharine says, raising an eyebrow at me.

"It wasn't me. It was-"

"The Venom, yeah, I know."

* * *

><p>The Venom isn't an imaginary friend, or a symptom of multiple personality disorder. It's sort of...everything bad? Like Venom from Spider man. It's pure black hate. I've been to doctors, and they all have different theories.<p>

I hate the Venom. I hate that I can't control myself sometimes, and end up yelling and screaming. I hate it. It feels good, but it's gonna bite you in the ass at one point. Aftereffects are a bitch, too. You end up with a sludge of all the emotions. After, I feel nauseous, tense, overexcited, shaky, and weepy.

I don't want the Venom in me. Venom and infertility are the two things I hate most about me.

Katharine flips me out of bed, and tosses me a little bottle. Crack open the top, take one, toss back. Everybody on the team takes them. They increase metabolism, heighten consciousness, and slightly silence conscience. Waldo calls them serial killer pills.

Katharine cleans up our room. My half and her half. Mainly because I never clean and Katharine's an obsessive neat freak.

Head to kitchen, nearly run over the twins. Taz's standing on Ditto's shoulders, trying to reach the Count Chocula on the top shelf. Waldo hides it up there so we won't eat it.

"Watch out, boss!" Ditto says, trying to avoid me and balance his sister.

"Sorry!" I say, dodging them.

"Got it!" Taz shrieks, Count Chocula held between two hands. "Take the pills today?" I ask them both.

"Yes," they respond at the same time. "Get me some too, okay?" I ask.

Everyone knows that Count Chocula is part of a balanced breakfast. Waldo doesn't, apparently.

"What are you doing! That's my cereal!"

"Not anymore," Ditto responds, high-fiving Taz. "I hate it when people eat my food. You know that. Don't eat my Chocula!" Waldo complains. Waldo's annoying, but he's smart and funny and level headed. He sold his soul to Satan to get a PhD, y'know. He's got blonde hair and glasses, and we make fun of him whenever he wears stripes.

"Technically, it's in a box, so it can go to anyone," I tell him. Waldo glares.

"Well, Gina of the Venom, I hid the cereal on the top shelf, behind the coffeemaker so that you wouldn't eat it! But yet you do! You're gonna give me a damn heart attack!"

"Bullshit. The cereal will do that first." I respond, trying to ignore the pulse of Venom in my throat.

_C'mon. You don't have to hurt him. Just scream a bit. And throw stuff._

You're not helping me.

_You're not helping yourself either._

Artie wanders into the kitchen, sporting gravity defying bedhead and Batman pajama pants. He completely ignores all of us, heads to the meat drawer in the fridge and starts devouring raw bacon.

We're a weird bunch. You should see us on weekends.

During breakfast, we get a new job. It shows up like most jobs of ours do, in a puff of smoke singeing the tablecloth.

Waldo grabs it and rips it open.

"Bank manager, Laos, Thailand. Bring weapons, good luck getting them through airport security," Waldo reads.

We're flying? Laos, Laos, that's, like, seventeen hours or something, right?

I'm going to be on a plane for seventeen fucking hours?

Hell, I should've stayed dead.

* * *

><p>We managed to get the guns through security-demon named Marv working the gate, thank Satan for him- and got onto the plane.<p>

"I'm gonna say...five minutes after takeoff."

"No way. Ten."

Katharine and Ditto are taking bets on how long it's gonna take before I'm sick. I get wicked awful motion sickness.

Eighteen hour flight. I was on a plane for eighteen hours. Not fun.

Despite the jet lag, we agree to try to finish the job tonight.

I see him before anyone else does.

"Angel!" I spit.

"Where?" Katharine asks.

"Behind us," Taz mutters. What? The angel's ahead of us.

"Oh shit. How many?" I ask.

Artie snarls like an animal, no words, just noise.

"Four."

Waldo swears softly.

Angels are not our friends. We Repo people work to get souls for Satan, but angels work to get souls for someone else. Usually souls that we've been assigned to take.

"Maybe they'll be nice?" Taz asks. Katharine sighs. "I'll take Gabriel. We've got unfinished business," I tell the group. I wave towards Gabriel, and then he gestures at me, then himself, and then a back alley.

* * *

><p>"Thanks, Gabe, for making me look like a hooker on the streets of Laos."<p>

"Don't mention it, Gina. The tattoo helps."

"It's a dragon, how is that hookerish?"

"The fact that it starts at your neck and then winds all the way around you down to your left ankle."

I slam a punch into his stomach. Gabriel grunts and doubles over.

My elbows go into his back, and the Venom purrs with satisfaction.

Gabriel's arm hits me in the stomach, and then there's hot, warm, sticky, and then the smell. Burning flesh. Holy weapons have that effect on demonic presences like me.

I hiss, then scream, falling over, and I bite my lip, trying not to cry.

"How'd you like that, hellspawn?" Gabriel asks, wiping the blade of his knife on my shirt.

I try to say something, but I can't.

Gabriel leaves, my black blood spotting his white clothes, wings folding and unfolding as he walks past me to Laos.

I hiss out breaths, and peel my shirt back from my stomach. Ick. Black blood surrounding a burned cut. I feel bile rising in the back of my throat. Okay. Okay. You can do this. Do you see any internal organs? No. Okay. Can you walk?

I roll over, one arm over my stomach. I lean heavily on the wall, and put one foot in front of the other. I slide down the wall, down the the pavement, and watch the black blood turn my shirt darker. Venom starts snarling in my head, trying to help me.

_What the hell, Gina? Keep moving. It's just blood._

I can't.

_WHAT? No. Unacceptable. Get up. Get up, dammit!_

I can't move.

_If you die, I die too. Get your ass up off that pavement. You're weak, yeah, but you have to do this._

_Get._

_Up._

_NOW._

I move my limbs, and it hurts. I get up, and I keep fucking moving, because I can't do much else right now.

* * *

><p>I wander, keep moving, and then I find Artie. Follow whimpering down another alleyway. More black demon blood. Bad sign. I hear Artie crying, and I'm calling his name, and I find him pinned up on a wall. Wings crushed against the brickwork, nails through the wrists and ankles. I get him down, feel him bleed on me.<p>

Two nights.

Two nights in a fucking row.

List all the injuries your team has had.

Crucifixion. Artie.

Toenails removed. Artie again.

Exorcism. Artie once more.

Electrocution. Katharine.

Broken fingers. Me.

Flesh burnt so bad that feeling's gone. Waldo.

I can't do this job anymore. I love it. It's good money. I can't cope with the injuries that face me and everyone else. I'm done with this.

Artie looks up at me, lifts up the bottom of my shirt, and starts to lick the blood off my stomach.


	3. Get to pink

We went back home. I looked after my own injuries, because Waldo looked after the twins, who got attacked with a stun gun. Wash the blood off my stomach, hate that the cut went through my tattoo. Plan. Plot. Scheme. Find a way out. Where? Where can I go? Where can I hide where they won't find me?

I booked tickets on a boat, the S.S. Raven. The Raven will take me to the bermuda triangle. There's a small island in the bermuda triangle, I'm staying there, getting away from all this. It's gonna kill me to get away from the twins and Artie. I've pretty much been a mother towards them both.

But I failed. I can't keep them safe. They need school, and friends, and Facebook, not training and knives and trips to England to kill billionaires.

So I'm leaving.

_No. You're running away._

So what? I'm leaving, call it what you want.

_Oh, sure, sure. Sorry to interrupt your flawless mothering. Didn't your own mum run away? Oops, sorry, LEAVE?_

Yeah, because she couldn't deal with YOU.

_Oh yeah. Ha ha ha. Forgot that._

* * *

><p>The S.S. Raven is not a luxury liner. It's a small boat, big enough for me and what looks like two escaped Japanese Con men. I do not speak Japanese, but I do know enough to know that they've been staring at me. What the flipping hell? I'm not beautiful, I get 'Hot' enough, same with 'pretty,' 'lovely,' and once, 'Sexy, but it's eclipsed by your batshit personality.'<p>

Hopefully, Venom won't make a guest appearance, or else I'll get thrown over the side of the boat.

We leave at six. I brought a suitcase full of clothes, two pictures of my team and I, a waterproof backpack, my ipod, and a ton of weapons.

My motion sickness also translates into seasickness, fuck it. I'm leaning over the side of the boat for the first three hours of the damn trip. I get laughed at, but I don't really care.

Took a nap for another two hours.

Yo ho, yo ho, a pirates life for me...

I think I might leap over the side of the boat for something to do.

* * *

><p>I get shaken awake by one of the con men.<p>

"What the fuck?" I ask. Random spasm of japanese. Bloody hell.

He points to the sky, which is brewing with dark angry clouds, and I hear a rumble of thunder.

Why the hell didn't I take a fucking plane?

On the water, the tallest thing is you. I've read Life of Pi, it was wrong. You're on the ocean in the middle of a goddamn thunderstorm, you're gonna get hit.

Lightning hit the water next to us. It was pretty awesome, too, despite the fact that we're just getting thrown everywhere and the waves are the size of small houses. I mean, it just branched out like an enormous lightning tree.

"Whoa," I whisper.

Then the boat was thrown abruptly sideways, and I smacked my jaw on the side of the boat.

"Motherfucker!" I hiss. A wave hit the side of the boat, nearly drowning me.

There's a shout from one of the Con men as he falls over the side of the boat.

"Holy shit!" I shout, trying to hold onto something. My suitcase slides past me, and I reach for it, but it goes overboard.

All my pictures were in there. All my pictures of Taz and Ditto, Katharine, Artie, and Waldo.

Lightning hits the boat, splitting it apart and setting it on fire. I hold onto my backpack, opening it and throwing out a lot of the weapons I brought. I only kept two butterfly knives and my marushin m1887 out of all of them.

I like that gun.

Water hits the boat again, there's the sizzle of flames, and I'm thrown off.

I grab onto a plank of driftwood, hold on tight, so tight that all my knuckles pop.

Underwater.

Air.

Underwater again.

Keep holding on. Don't let go. Ignore screaming pain from stomach wound. Think about the Twins. Miss them. Nearly start crying. Spit out salt water. Wait out storm.

Storm ends.

Start hearing voices.

* * *

><p>Taz looks over at me. She's sitting on the water like a little mexican Jesus girl.<p>

"Why'd you leave?" she asks. "I couldn't kill people anymore. I'm sorry," I tell her.

Artie purrs at me. Taz somehow turned into Artie, but it's okay. Everything's okay here, out on the water with nothing to hurt me. Artie does not look good. He looks feverish, sweaty, and his eyes are bloodshot.

"What's up, kidlet? You don't look so good," I ask.

Artie looks over at me, watching carefully. A tail whips behind him, which is weird, because he never had a tail. He starts whimpering, beating his skull with curled fingers.

"Artie, babe, what's wrong?"

He looks up at me, snarling. He feels betrayed that I left him. One by one, he starts to break his fingers.

I don't see Katharine or Waldo, which is weird, because usually they'd be lecturing me about ditching.

I really want to let go of the damn plank and go swimming, but there's probably sharks or shrieking eels or something.

_Hello, you. How you been?_

Oh God. I thought you'd be gone.

_Oh, go fuck yourself. You're nothing without me. As long as you're alive, I will be too._

Never considered suicide like that before.

_Why not? Go swimming. Converse with mermaids. All that fun stuff._

No. I haven't seen mermaids since I dropped acid in seventh grade.

_Oh yeah! You took acid and took a bath. That was after mom left, right?_

Yeah.

_You know that was your fault?_

Sure. Where's the water taking me?

_Away. And you just wait._

What's that supposed to mean?

_Taken your pills lately? No? Let's see, you combine I, Venom, with withdrawal from pills, and you will kill someone. You're gonna be a complete psychopath!_

That's bullshit. I'm thirsty.

_Fine. Don't believe me. Go right ahead, we'll see who's right. _

* * *

><p>I've stopped. Weird.<p>

I crack open a salt rimmed eye. Pink. So much pink.


	4. Mental health

Pink.

So much pink. Pink hurts stomach, hurts eyes, so thirsty.

A seagull lands next to me, squawking curiously.

I don't move. Keep flinching to a minimum when I get the peck on my leg.

Seagull toddles closer.

C'mon, you feathery bastard. Closer. Closer. So much closer.

The seagull stops right next to my face. Cocks head to one side.

I pounce, grabbing the bird and ignoring the pecks on my hands. Bite into neck, feel delicious blood coat the inside of my throat, not thirsty anymore. Not hungry either.

What the hell?

Oh...

Oh my...

Oh shit.

I just killed a fucking seagull and ate it! Like a cannibal. I didn't even cook it.

_Admit it,_ Venom purrs. _I'm starting to get to you. _

* * *

><p>I stare down at the blood on my hands. I'm terrified. I've seen how I am sane. I'm a borderline psycho on my best days.<p>

But a complete, total mental breakdown...

No. No. I'm not insane. I'm okay. I just drank some seawater. Saltwater can do this to a person. You watched that movie with Waldo that one time. Remember?

_You mean the Shining?_

No. Not the fucking Shining. Go jump off a cliff.

_This is how it starts, y'know._

I've been like this for years.

_Maybe you just snapped now. Just a thought, how much of this is in your head and how much are you saying out loud?_

Uh oh. oh no no no no.

Y'know what? Chill. Find your center, and all that yogic crap. So you killed and ate a seagull. No big deal. You'll be fine, unless Greenpeace finds you.

I giggle a bit at the last comment. Now. I have to hide. There could possibly be intelligent life on the island, and I do not want to see them in the throes of a psychotic episode.

Deep breaths. Deep breaths. You'll be fine.

My head throbs, like the beginning of a headache. Count heartbeats. It's okay.

I press my fingers to my jungular vein. Heart beats fast. Too fast. I don't want to listen anymore.

I also start feeling warm. Way too warm. I'm sweating buckets just standing.

What the hell is wrong with me? Why am I acting like this?

I need to cool off. If your body temperature gets too high, your blood boils, right? Katharine's always watching House, and she told me, so that's somewhat reliable.

_Get to the water._

No. I'm staying here.

_Get. To. The. Water._

You're not the boss of me.

_Oh yes I am. Get to the water. _

* * *

><p>My vision swims. I feel itchy and hot. I feel like unzipping my skin and crawling out. I drag my body to the water. Take off shoes. Go swimming.<p>

Water's lovely cool on my skin. Waldo floats by me, rolling his eyes. Oh shut up. I'll go swimming if I feel like it.

Sink deeper, and I hear music. Coldplay, maybe. Boo. They're good to listen to when you're having a psychopathic episode though. Florence + the Machine as well. Makes you feel sane.

I swim closer to the music. The salt water's beating up my face, and I can't open my eyes, because they'd probably dehydrate and drop out of my skull.

Wow. That is really lovely. No wonder I haven't had a boyfriend since I died.

I reach my hands out like I'm playing Marco Polo, and I touch something glasslike. The music's really loud. I pound my fists against the glass, because that's what people did in the Titanic movie, I think. Didn't everybody die, though?

Meh. Didn't watch it. Boring.

Then I hear the notes flatten, along with a scream.

Tap.

Tap.

Tap.

Someone's answering me. I've either completely flipped or I'm not alone.

I swim back to the surface, and breathe. Mmm. That's nice. After swimming to shore, I rub the salt water out of my eyes, and actually look around. Sure everything's wavy, I feel like I've got a small army of ants crawling around under my skin, and my heart's beating too fast, but I think I might be ready for socialization. I roll out on the hard pink surface beneath me, trying to dry off. I accidentally roll over a bit of glass though. Ow. Pain. I'll just ignore that. Hopefully my clotting blood cells decide to work today.

Hey, look.

Stairs.

* * *

><p>Get up. Bend weird like a puppet. Bend into normal. One step. Two steps. Walk to steps. Open door.<p>

The door screeches open reluctantly, and I squeeze in between the salt-blistered doorframe and the creaky door. There's a midget (excuse my political incorrectness. He may be just short) standing next to an elevator. He opens his mouth to say something to me, but then he realizes what I look like and snaps his mouth shut.

I push the button for the elevator, climb inside, and listen to the doors slide shut behind me.


	5. I don't know you I think

Where to go? Where to go?

I let the door ping shut behind me. I'm dripping wet, bleeding, and my clothes are all torn up from the goddamn shipwreck. Somewhere without people would be nice.

It's weird. I'm stuck in between wanting to find people and not wanting them to find me.

Wow.

I must've hit my head. That's stupid.

_Okay. Okay. Focus. Get your head back into working order. Kevlar up, bitch._

Jesus. Waldo used to say that right before a job. It's weird not hearing that all the time.

_Yeah. Check your stomach._

I press a random button on the elevator. All right. I need to check the old wound I got, and the new one when I rolled on glass. Fucking hell, am I really that stupid?

* * *

><p>My wet shirt peels up slowly. The bigger cut on my stomach isn't bleeding, and I don't see pus or internal organs or nothing. Still looks a bit burned, but I think all the salt in the water disinfected it. Joy.<p>

Whoa. Not good. Fuck. The smaller cut's decided to bleed profusely, and I can see some glass still in there.

Waldo. You and your goddamn ill-gotten PhD and your medical training! Why aren't you here?

I really do not want to take care of a bleeding cut in an elevator. I mean, it could be someone else's dream (if so, YOU NEED HELP,) but I generally think that mucking around with wounds is not a good thing. Particularly my own.

I need some gauze, or at least something to cover it with

The elevator gives a wrenching stop that's so unique to elevators. You know. Where they stop, go up a bit, and then SLAM back down? Stupid sadist elevator manufacturers.

I push my shirt back down, and brush my hair back.

Elevator doors open. I start feeling twitchy, Venom scratching down my spine with exhaustion and malice.

"Who're you?"

Holyshitthere'speoplehere.

"Who're you?" I ask back, mostly out of reflex.

"Wot? No. I asked yew first, so yew gotta answer first."

"Or what?"

"Or...I dunno."

* * *

><p>The voice sounds male. Suddenly, the weight of the water, of the air, the lack of food, the loss of my friends, the shipwreck all hit me at once.<p>

I need to get out. Out now. Get out. Venom's panicking, and it's getting me close to hysteria. Deep breaths, kiddo.

"Yew alrigh'? Yew've gone all pale..."

Help me.

"I feel sick."

Vomit bubbles in my stomach, and I swallow, pushing my hair out of my eyes with the heels of my hands.

"Are you high or somefink? Yew look like yew're coming offa meth binge."

That would probably explain everything, but I don't do drugs. Much.

"Do you have a bathroom?" I ask.

"Wha'? Yeah. Dis way, c'mon," he says, reaching for my hand. I snap back.

"What're you doing? Don't touch me!"

"Easy! Baffroom's down that way," he says, waving his hand. I stumble through the junk piled around, not very easy since all the lights are off, God/Satan/Other Religious Icon knows why.

I stumble into the bathroom. Make it to the toilet. Puke. I will. Clean that up. On a later date. Puke some more. Black blood. Mixed with red. Haven't bled red since I sold my soul. And I'm fifty years or something, so my contract's still good.

There's a knock on the door. "Yew sure you're okay?"

What? Do I know this guy? Why does he care?

"...Sorry?" I call through the door.

"Jus' wanted to see if you feel bettuh," is the only response, and then I hear a TV switch on.

Okay, What? Who would care? I don't think I know him. Why the hell would he care about something like me?

Thoughts cavort through my mind like a dancing flea circus. I slump down next to the toilet, and black out.

**(A.N. Kyahh I hate writing accents. I think I'm doing okay, sorry for making Gina such a psycho, sorry, she'll get better soon. Feel free to leave a review but if you don't want to that's okay too. If you have any tips on writing 2D's accent, or Murdoc's when he shows up, please let me know, that'd be great.) **


	6. Honk

I watched myself bleed.

I know that's an extremely emo thing to say, but I did. Red blood oozed through my mouth and onto the bathroom floor. I faded in and out of sleep. I reckoned internal bleeding, and I'd be straight back to hell when I died. Phooey. Motherfucker. Blast.

"Holy hell! What 'appened? Overdose?"

"Dunno."

My words come slowly, muted by all the blood in my throat.

"Ohh, shit, I'm gonna go get Muds, he'll be roight pissed I didn't tell him 'bout cha."

"Why do you care?" I ask.

There's a hand in my hair, smoothing it back and tilting my face up to the light.

I can finally see him now, big black eyes and missing teeth. Or maybe I'm just trippin'.

"Muds don't loike me much," he murmurs all soft. I nod in acknowledgement, and then puke some more black blood into the toilet.

"Bloody hell!"

"...I'll clean it later."

* * *

><p>Black Eyes hauls me to the elevator, and pushes a button. I lean on his shoulder, feeling a bit drugged up. Everything seems to slide down.<p>

"Hey, whot? No. Yew gotta stand up."

"Don't wanna. I feel sick."

Black Eyes has no patience for me, yanking me to my feet. Nearly dislocates my arm, too.

The elevator stops, and I get hauled out of the elevator. My head throbs, I feel too hot and itchy. I hear knocking on a door, and then some banging.

"IT'S ELEVEN! YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO BOTHER ME AFTER ELEVEN!"

Hello Shouty man. What a loud voice you have.

"It's not the robot, Muds, it's me, somefin bad's happened!"

The door opens, and I stare up at the ceiling.

"YOU! Faceache! Wot the fuck's goin' on! Who's that?"

Shouty man-Muds, I think- has green skin and a busted-up nose. He looks so familiar.

"I don't know whot her name is, I fink she's dyin, she O.D.'ed on somefin," Black Eyes- Faceache?-says, stammering a bit. I lean back against the wall. I'm so tired.

"Pretteh little fing, ain't she? C'mon, look at meh, that's a good girl. Christ, look at you, so fuckin' stoned," Muds says, looking at my eyes.

I don't feel anything.

Well, emotionally. Muds decided that right then, right when I was possibly dying, now would be a good time to cop a feel. HONK.

"MURDOC!" Faceache screeched, but Murdoc-Muds?-just cackled.

"So? Little bird's gonna be dead in a bit. Might as well. You wanna squeeze?"

I swat at his face. "Don't."

"Shaddup! Stupid girl."

I focus my eyes. Left hook to mouth? Nah. Windpipe? Sure, why not?

I clench my right hand into a fist with my index and third finger sticking out. Drive straight. The give of Murdoc's windpipe gives me a somewhat amused sort of feeling.

"Satan!" Murdoc lets go of me, and I fall to the floor. Faceache starts laughing, and I just keep my eyes open. "Wot's so funny?" Murdoc snarls at Faceache, who shrinks back. "What's not funny?" I reply, my eyelids sliding half-closed.

Murdoc turns his full glare to me, but I just watch him. He eventually just snorts, hauling me back up and dragging me into his room.

"Muds, give her back! I found 'er first!" Faceache calls, hovering in the doorway. I didn't know that the Finder's Keeper's Rule applied to women.

"Sod Off, She'll stay here. Wif me. Won't you, Babydoll?" Murdoc asks, grinning at me in a way that I really don't like.

"Faceache stays here too. I want him to. Stay," I reply, feeling some blood leak out of my mouth. At least I'm not bleeding out my eyes.

"See? She likes me!" Faceache crows triumphantly.

Murdoc mutters darkly, but eventually agrees to let me (and Faceache) sleep on the floor of his room, next to a bunch of boxes.

I lean on Faceache's shoulder, trying to sleep. "Don't let 'er sleep! Christ, D, why're yew so stupid?" Murdoc snaps.

"My name's Gina," I whisper.

"Whot'd she say, Tusspot?" Murdoc asks.

"She said 'er name's Gina," Faceache tells him, and then I go to sleep and don't dream.

**(Hoorah for Murdoc. HONK. Look at me go, I've uploaded three chapters in a week or something. Not bad. If you hate the story, leave a review so I'll know what to change. If anyone is OOC, send me a message or something. I'll fix that, somehow. If you like the story, you could leave a review too, I won't mind. Thanks for reading!) **


	7. Marco Polo

I slept for two days, not entirely like a crack addict after their first line. The reason I know this- about sleeping for two days, not the drug stuff, -is because Murdoc told me.

"You slept for two days."

"Ugghh. Mother_fucker,_" I responded. Only logical thing to say.

"Classy. Where ya from, that accent ain't from 'round here," Murdoc stated, sitting up in his bed and lighting a cigarette.

Yeah. Vietnamese. I've got the goddamn accent to prove it. Fluent Engrish. Not broken engrish either, just engrish. How I loathe it.

"Fuck off," I mutter. Murdoc raises an eyebrow.

_"So_ sorry luv, but wha' was that?" Murdoc growls. Shit.

"None of your business where I'm from. I said FUCK OFF," I state, loving the way the words roll off my tongue.

Murdoc gets out of bed and strides over to where I'm sitting. He hauls me up by the front of my shirt. I expect the slap, and he's obviously hit girls before. Oww.

"Lissen to me, you fucking whore. I let ya sleep in my room, and I didn't mess wif ya or nuffin, so I fink I deserve a little respect, hmm?" Murdoc snarled in my face. I'm shorter than him, and I'm up against a wall. I try to find Venom, let it take control for a few minutes.

_Handle this by yourself. I'm busy._

What? No. Nuh uh. You're gonna help me right now!

_Don't think so. Look on the Bright Side. This is a dream come true. I'm gone._

So I just improvise. I just talk.

"Oh yeah? Mr. Big Shot with his fancy floating island. I could break your neck. I could snap you in fucking half and still sleep like a baby! I kill people, Murdoc. I gut 'em for money. You'll get my respect when you earn it, Damn it!" I shout, feeling triumphant. Scared you, didn't I? Just put me down and nobody gets hurt.

Murdoc slammed me back into the wall. Knee to my stomach. It hits one of my old wounds, sending me curling up and hissing from pain.

"Are you stupid? Or just slow? I don't care wot ya do, if you're staying in my room, you'll lissen to me, got it?" Murdoc whispers really softly to me. He's so angry, and maybe I am stupid, but I have to.

I spit in his face and yell my statement again, like a real lady.

"FUCK OFF!"

Murdoc drops me, and I fall to the carpet as gracefully as a cadaver.

"Women. Ya on the rag or somefin?"

"I'm infertile, you ass."

Murdoc pauses, knocked for a loop.

"Oh...er, sorry?"

I touch the side of my face. "You're still an ass."

Murdoc exhales. "You're still a bitch. Yew want pancakes?"

I smile a bit. Pancakes are a mercenary's favourite food. "Yeah."

"Great. Get cookin', luv, I'm starved."

* * *

><p>I wander around the island after Murdoc bids me off to make pancakes.<p>

"Fucking bastard. Make your own pancakes," I mutter, kicking a wall. Does this place even have a kitchen?

I turn a corner, and run smack into someone else. "Sorry!" I quickly apologize. There's a narrow thrum of Venom, but it's not much. At all. What the flippin' hell? Where's Venom?

"Identify yourself," the other person commands. I think it's an A.I. program, mostly from the bullet wound in it's head and all the wires I can see in it. The A.I. is of a Japanese young woman, or an older teen. Short choppy purple/blue hair. All black clothes, only about an inch shorter than me.

"Identify yourself, human!" it snaps. I roll my eyes, because really, who's it fooling?

"What's your name?" I ask. The A.I. makes a whirring noise, then responds.

"My name is Noodle. Identify yourself."

I smirk. "What a coincidence. My name's Noodle too!"

I expected a brief does-not-compute statement of some sort, but Noodle takes out a gun. Remington 870. I am unarmed. Damn. Not good.

"You are not Noodle! She is dead! I am the only Noodle now!"

I get a creeping feeling of Deja Vu. Noodle, Murdoc, Faceache, why does that sound so familiar? Did I kill one of their family members?

"Touchy subject?" I ask, tipping my head to one side. Noodle's face contorts to one of anger. I spin around and sprint back the way I came. I heard the shotgun getting pumped, and then I felt the bullet tear through my left shoulder. It just went straight through, out, in, out, imbed in wall.

"Bitch! You shot me!" I shout over my shoulder. It doesn't hurt much, just went through, but it's still bad manners to shoot a houseguest. Noodle's giving chase, and the only thing that could make this better would be somebody playing Yakety Sax.

What would Katharine do in this situation?

I think back to when we were at IHop. Let's see, Twins, Gorillaz, Noodle...

HOLY SHIT!

I skid to a stop. Noodle runs into me with an annoyed whirr.

"You're part of Gorillaz! Oh my God, that's why! I'm so stupid! Hey, Noodle, everybody thinks you're dead, you should really go on Ellen or something, dispel all that shit. Can I have your autograph, two friends of mine are huge fans."

Noodle gets up off the floor, reaches for my arms, and wordlessly pins them behind my back.

"Noodle, you are now my prisoner, and you will listen to me now," the robot dictates.

"Prisoner? Feh. Is this Cowboys and Indians or something?"

Noodle's face hardens again, into some sort of scary angry barbie mask as she leads me into the elevator.

"Master will not be pleased to hear about you," Noodle states, pressing a button.

I watch the hallway until the door pings closed.

* * *

><p>"Hey, Gina! I thought yew were dead!"<p>

Noodle throws me into Faceache's room. "Hello..." I say, wracking my mind to remember his name. Taz said it once, D-something, 2D!

"Your name's 2D, right?"

2D grins at me. "Yep! Yew alright, luv? Got some blood on ya..." he swipes at my shoulder. I glance over. This place is really not good for my health.

"Noodle shot me," I reply offhandedly.

"She's back?" he gasps.

"What? The robot girl. She busted a cap in my shoulder," I reply, not looking at him.

2D goes back to melancholy. "Oh."

"So...what happened to you bunch? Isn't the real Noodle dead or something?" I move closer to him, so I'm lying on the floor with him lying on his bed.

"Well...it's sort of a long story. Tell yew later, okay?"

It feels like he's dodging the question. I don't want to press him on it, but I really want to know how the hell he got on an island of pink trash.

2D and I end up watching a movie, some foreign film about vampires. I space about for a bit, thinking about my team. I wonder what I'll do without them. Killing for a living, glamourous, sure, but maybe I could be a professional thief? Less blood. Would they find me? I doubt it. Nobody knows that I'm here. I could just live here forever with 2D, and Murdoc and that goddamn android.

Not bad. I like this.

I lean on 2D, who flinches. "It's cool. I'm just tired," I tell him, watching vampire girl tear a victim to pieces. 2D hums an agreement, and keeps watching the movie.

_What a nice boy._

Fuck off. I like this one.

_Yeah. He likes you too. He'll probably hate me though._

Everybody hates you. That's what makes you Venom.

_Gina, you stupid girl. Once I show up, he'll kick you out._

No. You listen to me now. Stay away from him.

_Or what?_

Or I'll shoot you in the fucking ankle and set you on fire and watch you hop around while burning to death, that's what.

"You okay, Gina?"

"Hmm?" I respond, looking up at him.

"Yew looked a bit angry there. Yew sure yew're alright?" 2D asked, so concerned, so lovely to a monster like me.

I smile at him a bit. "I'm gonna be just fine."

* * *

><p>I barely remember the phone ringing in the middle of the night, and then stumbling up to answer it. There was a phone in 2D's room, but he claimed it was disconnected.<p>

"Hello? What time is it?"

"Who is this?" the other line pops with static, over a voice with a german accent.

"It's, it's Gina, yeah. Who's this?"

"Really? How are you?"

My head starts to clear. "What? Who are you? Why are you calling me?"

"Some friends of yours are looking for you."

Uh oh. "Who is this?" I ask one final time.

There's a silence, and then there's two words.

"Marco Polo."

He hangs up. I listen to the dial tone.

"Shit."

**(Schwat is this Marco Polo nonsense? Sorry for all the cliffhangers I.E. 2D's question dodging, and mysterious German phone man. Most of this will be cleared up later. Hopefully. As long as the story sticks to the plotline.) **


	8. Blissed out, Piss off

I stared at the phone, now gone dead, dial tone and everything. Marco Polo? That's when you trace the call, find them, find me.

_You never got away from this at all._

I know.

* * *

><p>I head back to my spot on the floor. "Everyfing alwight, Gina?" 2D asks me. No. It's not. I'm being hunted by Hell because I'm taking time off with no notice. I've been working for Hell's repossession since I was seventeen and died of a drug overdose. When thinking about this situation, alright is not the first adjective to come to mind.<p>

"I'm fine, D, go back to sleep."

2D mutters something, and rolls over in bed. I sit down on the floor, glancing around, pulling my knees up to my chest.

Do I know any germans? I'm not gonna be put to death over something like this, right? Or sent to purgatory? Or Disney networks?

Jesus. What have I done?

I really want to just cry right now. Venom's trying to make me feel better, but it's just as worried as I am.

_Hey. Hey there. Shh. Don't cry. But seriously, holy shit what have you DONE?_

2D climbs out of bed and sits next to me on the floor. I don't look at him, just stare straight ahead. We're both quiet, then 2D shifts closer to me and gives me such an awkward hug.

I lean into him, crying a bit. We don't say anything. We don't need to.

* * *

><p>I didn't tell 2D about the phone.<p>

I didn't tell anyone. If I ignored it, it would just go away.

It did go away. Or maybe I just stopped thinking about it. Being around 2D calmed me down. I was used to people saying that they'd love you forever and then trying to stick a letter opener in between your shoulder blades. I didn't have to worry about that with 2D.

What I saw was what I got, and I liked that.

Venom was even tolerable.

_You know why?_

Humor me.

_You're in love. With that idiot 2D. Love'll make you messy, sloppy, needy. Weak._

Maybe I don't really need to be strong anymore.

Venom dismissed me with a flick of it's wrist.

_We'll discuss this later._

I stayed on plastic beach for about two months. I only had one Venom moment. Murdoc pushed me too far, and I started screaming blue murder and threw an ashtray at him.

Not too bad. Could've been worse.

I killed pirates, too. That was fun. I didn't get injured much, which was good. I hung with 2D and talked about fears-whales for him, the ballet for me-kids- 2D had allegedly fathered five kids without knowing any of them, while all I wanted was one.

We watched movies, talked about love, did some drugs, stuff like that.

At the end of the two months, my entire crew showed up in a boat called the S.S. Enterprise, flightless, disoriented, and jet lagged.

Jesus Tap-dancing Christ.

**(Don't expect a lot of updates, I'm gonna be writing a collab on , so I'll try to share. Sorry for such a sucky chapter, I didn't want to take too long to get to the main plot. It's gonna just go up from here.) **


	9. Family reunion, five second head start

I had been wearing one of 2D's massive shirts to bed, mostly because my clothes were pretty shipwrecked.

"Whale's back," 2D muttered, burrowing under his covers. He really doesn't like that thing.

I feel really bad, which makes Venom roll it's eyes. I think about all the talking we've been doing, and I look around for 2D's keyboard. I hum a couple notes, and start playing them out on the keyboard.

"Gina, luv, what're yew doing?"

I finally confess to my god-awful music skills. "I'm trying to play the muppet theme song."

2D starts laughing.

"Yew tone deaf?"

"I don't think so," I say, moving over as 2D sits next to me. "See, I fink it goes from here," he plays a note, "to here. See? Yew hear dat?"

"They sound exactly the same."

During the fumbling of the Muppet Show theme song, I manage to hear a knock on the door.

"Come in!"

Murdoc strides in, and he's got no time for 2D for once. He's looking at me.

"Gina! I thought I 'eard somefin. Yew go checkit out, okay?"

Oh, hell no. "Aww, did you hear a spooky noise?"

Murdoc goes red a bit, which in itself is quite an accomplishment, seeing as he's mostly green. "Wif that attitude ya got, ya should scare 'em right off."

Oh, snap.

* * *

><p>Murdoc agrees to come with me, saying that he's already sent cyborg out an hour ago and hasn't seen her since. I get a nine iron as my weapon. Hoo-fucking-rah.<p>

We check out the office first. It's completely empty, but Murdoc insists on looking behind furniture. I just stare out the window, half-listening to Murdoc putter around, playing at being what I am.

Whoa. Hang out. What's that?

"Hey, Niccals, come see this."

"Wot? Ya find somefin?"

"Isn't that a boat?"

Murdoc squints out. "You mean that? That's a speck, babydoll."

I reach past him for the telescope. I lift it to my face, squinting out. "It's a boat!"

Murdoc tries to snatch the telescope back from me. I twist to the side, because I had it first. "Give it! Lemme see!"

"No way! Ask for it! It's a yacht, okay?"

Murdoc and I squabble for the telescope for a minute, until Murdoc punches me in the eye and I let go. "Ouch!" I snap, while Murdoc just cackles, pleased that he won.

I need air. I don't want to flip out on Murdoc, especially when there might be people in the house.

I head to the lift and head down to the engine room. Maybe the Cyborg'll be there. I wonder if she saw anyone?

The lift stops halfway down. "Goddamn piece of machinery! Fucking hell!" I swear and punch the walls. The lift doesn't budge. The light goes out though, which makes me laugh.

Maybe I can exit through the ceiling of the elevator? I jump, and my fingers barely skim the ceiling. It makes me sad beyond measure.

I leap again, and miss the ceiling. After about, uh, half an hour of constant jumping, I finally dislodge the ceiling panel. "YEAH!" I shout, because for someone my height this is a nearly unattainable victory. This is like Elmo from Sesame Street beating Alexander the Great in a battle. Times seven.

Now. It's time for Elmo to beat Genghis Khan. I have to get out of the elevator. I can't just jump on one side of the elevator and then push off the wall. Physics doesn't bend to my will quite as I'd like it to.

I leap again, and fall short. Leap again, and pull a muscle. Jump, and stretch my arms up. I manage to grip onto the lip of the top of the elevator. I swing back and forth for a bit, and then flip up.

"Damn. That was pretty ninja," I whisper. Then I notice that a note's been left for me, a yellow post-it.

It reads, **Marco polo, bitch. Yes. You are in deep trouble.**

Ack. No. I haven't told Murdoc or 2D what I do for a living, not completely. Shit! Shit! Shit!

_Don't panic._

Yeah. I'll just climb the elevator ropes instead. There's an idea.

It's the only one I got, so I climb to the roof.

* * *

><p>It's unbelievably cold out. I should've worn pants. Yeah. Stupid I.<p>

I hold down the edge of 2D's shirt, looking around for people.

Suddenly, I catch sight of somebody at the top of the stairs. "Hey! Hey you!" I call out. They don't say anything, but they raise one of their arms. I drop to the floor and dive behind a deck chair, listening to the pepper of open fire bullets.

"Goddammit! Stop that!" I scream at them. I left my nine iron in the elevator. Soon I hear a click, which means only one thing.

They are empty, and their ass is mine.

I leap out from behind the deck chair, and I leap forward, planting a kick to their stomach and a punch between their eyes. Now I regret not wearing pants even more. Did Xena ever have this problem? She wore chain-mail skirts a lot, right?

The assailant swings a fist towards my face, and I twist out of the way. Kick out the side of their right knee, and shove forward to send them toppling down stairs. He manages to grab onto my hair while falling, pulling me down with him.

We fall down the stairs, and land in Murdoc's study. I look around for something, anything that could help me, and then I do what is either the stupidest or brightest attack ever.

Murdoc keeps a squid (you can see where this is going,) on the corner of his desk. Since he's a Big Important Rock Star now, he only uses fresh ink. From a squid. Celebrities get paid to be stupid. And that's why we love them.

I grab the squid and slam it into the attacker's face. The squid wraps it's tentacles around his face. It's a beautiful thing.

The lights flick on, and then my sixth sense, which is a Sense of Doom, kick into action.

Taz, Ditto, and Katharine are standing by the fish tank. The other person with the squid on his face is Waldo. Murdoc's sitting in a nearby chair, eyes flicking between me and my team.

"Gina. It's been a while," Katharine says, not smiling and dead serious.

**(I wanted to put more in here, but it's long enough as is. More jokes to come, hopefully. If you do think they're funny, write a review and say so. Otherwise it makes me feel like they fell flat. Which is never fun. I might not update for a while, I'm getting a project thing going on Ficwad[dot]com. I'll update as often as humanly possible, though. I promise.) **


	10. This is NOT a nice Chat

"What the hell are you doing here?" I blurt. Waldo manages to wrestle the squid off his face, and he's sitting on the edge of Murdoc's desk. "Why are you angry? There's no logical reason for you to be angry," Waldo says, adjusting his glasses.

I wasn't angry before, but now I am.

"I'm angry because you broke into my house, shot at me, when all I was doing was trying to GET AWAY FROM YOU!"

Waldo narrows his eyes. "I think we should consider this in another room."

A collective 'ooohhhh' goes through my team. "Studios through there. Break anyfing and I'll kill ya," Murdoc points to the studio door.

Waldo grabs my wrist and drags me into the studio. "Ooh, mom and dad are gonna _fight_," I hear Taz say to her brother as the door to the studio closes.

* * *

><p>Waldo leans against the soundboard. We're both silent, out of anger and stubbornness.<p>

"Do you have any idea how irresponsible you've been?" Waldo finally asks me.

"You're not my dad."

"Oh, right. Because you never needed anyone, right? No parents, no boyfriends, only us. But then you went fucking adventuring, right? No note or anything. Just gone," Waldo runs a hand through his hair.

"It wasn't like that." I'm not like that.

"THEN WHAT WAS IT LIKE? Goddammit Gina, did you even care?"

What? Care about what?

"Waldo, what the hell are you on about?" I ask.

"Us. Gina, did you have any idea how it felt? We thought you'd been killed. And the twins? Jesus. Just...Jesus."

"I...cared about you guys. I did!" I reassure him, but Waldo just starts shouting again.

"OH? I'M SO SURE! LIKE IT MATTERS! HOW MUCH LONGER UNTIL YOU RUN OUT FROM THESE GUYS? HUH?"

Venom finally tenses, and I warn Waldo.

"You're making me angry, Waldo."

Waldo rolls his eyes. "Oh, _I'm so freakin sorry,_ Lou Ferrigno. You ever ask yourself about the Venom?"

"Stop it."

"How does that work? Enlighten me. You always blame it, for, like, everything. You don't hate it at all, though. If you did you'd get off your ass and do something."

Keep it down keep it down keep it down...

_Nobody keeps us down._

"The power rush is just that worth it? You're such an adrenaline junkie. No, you're an emotion junkie. Do you even feel?"

_Says him._

Goddamn it, SHUT UP!

Venom surges in me, and I feel something hurt. But Oh Baby, maybe Waldo has a point because I still love it.

"You want me to feel something?" I ask, pacing over and hitting Waldo in the back. His nerve endings are all messed up in his back, because when we did a job in Rio he got set on fire.

"We're the same, you bastard. Neither of us can feel."

* * *

><p>Then I start hitting him. Waldo gets in a couple good hits, one to my already bruised eye and another to my stomach. But I don't care. I'm flying, running on malice, and it's <em>so fucking good.<em>

I come down after five minutes. Waldo's blood is splattered across 2D's shirt like a demented Jason Pollock painting. My head spins, my nose runs, and I can't believe I just did that.

"I...I'm sorry. Waldo, I'm so fucking sorry! I'm so sorry!"

Waldo looks up from the floor next to me. He's pale as hell, sweating, and he pulls himself so that his head is in my lap.

"You'll take that back in a minute."

Waldo takes that moment to get his revenge for the squid-to-the-face attack. Waldo Heller, that ingeniously clever bastard, takes this opportunity to projectile vomit on me.

Lovely.

* * *

><p>"Katharine! Help!" Waldo calls.<p>

Katharine bursts in the door, expecting Waldo to be beaten to a pulp. Her expression falls. "Waldo, did you puke on Gina?"

"Of course not. I'm a man of science! What do you take me for?"

"Waldo. Did you puke on Gina?"

"No."

"WALDO."

"...yes."

Katharine rubs her temples. "Gina, you stay here. Waldo, you made this mess, so you clean up. Did you break anything?"

"Only my ribs," Waldo responds, looking sick again. I shift away.

"Good. Muds, babe, everything's fine. They just had a bit of a fight," Katharine calls back, completely oblivious to Waldo.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't miss the lot of them.

* * *

><p>Once Waldo manages to clean out the studio, and I get changed, we all sit down to have a nice chat.<p>

"So...you hooking up with...Murdoc?"

Taz, what a great conversation starter.

"No! And why Murdoc?" I glance over at him. He's twice my age, maybe more. "He's your type. Like remember the barman in Osaka?" Ditto backs up his sister. "And that girl in England-" Taz starts to say, but I cut her off. "_Decir una sola palabra acerca de esto y te voy a ahogar en una bañera llena de brillo,_" I tell her. It's a useful phrase. Roughly translated it reads "Say a single word about that and I'll drown you in a tub of glitter."

Taz takes the hint and shuts up. But now Murdoc's looking at me with interest.

"Ya go both ways? Why didn't ya tell me?"

BECAUSE I KNEW HOW'D YOU REACT.

"I don't. It was a one time performance," I respond, pushing my hair behind my ear.

"Don't take it personal, Murdoc. Gina's actually very good in-"

"Waldo, don't you dare."

"...Hand to hand combat."

Katharine nods. "Good save."

* * *

><p>"So who're you, exactly?" Murdoc finally asks, lighting up a cigarette. "Well, I'm Katharine, blondeguy over there is Waldo, and the little ones are Taz and Ditto," Katharine says, giving her best stepford wives smile. Murdoc grins back at her.<p>

Taz and Ditto look like two regular kids in Disney World. They met the bass player of Gorillaz, and committed some nice B&E too. Every kid's dream.

"See, we kill people and steal souls. We usually just give 'em to the devil. Y'know, stuff like that," Waldo says. The police will never find his remains.

Murdoc full-out glares at me. What the hell?

"We're not here to kill you! We're just here for Gina!" Taz chirps. Murdoc continues glaring. I fidget in my seat. "I'm not a spy or anything. I just didn't want to kill anyone anymore," I say, staring at my hands in my lap.

It's like I cued an orchestra. Everybody on my team coughs into their hands, and all the coughs sound suspiciously like "Bullshit!"

Murdoc cracks a smile at this. I sink lower in my seat.

"Wait. Where's Artie?" Ditto asks, looking around.

"Yeah, he should be here by now. Should we go look?" Katharine asks, turning to Waldo.

"Oh why not. Make sure he hasn't chewed through a wire or something," Waldo answers, getting up from the couch.

I stay sitting, until Taz stands in front of me. "What're you doing! Get up!" she orders me, hauling me up. "I'm not with you guys any more," I say, following her.

Taz rolls her eyes. "You don't get it. You are twenty-five years old, and you don't get it. Once you in wif us, you in for life."

**(It just goes on forever, doesn't it? Review if you feel like it. Anything would be fine. Love, Hate, Spam, whatever. Thanks for reading this far, it's appreciated : ) Bye!) **


	11. Demon boys and Fan Girls

My team and I trek down the stairs, because we won't all fit in the elevator and Murdoc couldn't be bothered to get up. It's an extremely awkward walk down. Nobody says anything to anyone. Y'know, one of those types of walks.

"So...how's Artie been?" I ask Katharine, just to break the silence.

"Well, three months is a long time in our world, Gina. Three months in thief time is like three years regular time, what with all the cons and heists and jobs."

I nearly miss a step.

"Katharine, what the hell happened when I was away?"

"Oh, shit, here it comes man," Ditto whispers.

"Well we did a job-" Katharine starts to say.

"Where did you do a job?" I ask, starting to panic.

"You thought Laos was bad, it a nightmare," Taz says, staring at the ground.

"C'mon people, where?"

Waldo musters up all his courage and whimpers the reply.

"We hit the Vatican."

There's generally one rule in this job. It is:

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE DO YOU EVER HIT THE VATICAN.

Vatican city is crawling with angels. And popes. Never liked popes. Demons-or demonic presences like us-are not allowed in Vatican city. If, somehow, you do manage to get through, you better have a hell of a plan, my friend, or else you're quite literally going to go up in a cloud of brimstone and ash.

"You hit the Vatican? You hit the fucking Vatican?"

"We couldn't refuse! The target was the pope!"

Oh my God. "Fucking hell, what happened?"

"Well, our boy Waldo here is on some wanted list-"

Waldo blushes. "I didn't know that young lady was a nun, I swear!"

"And Artie got caught, promise you won't be mad," Katharine stares at me.

"I promise," l lie because I'm gonna go off, just tick tick boom.

"They cut off Artie's wings. Holy shit, we're really sorry, Gina calm down."

"Artie...can't fly?" I ask. I've gone from anger to blank. My baby. My Artie. Those bastards. Those fucking bastards! Artie! Oh my God. Holy hell.

"Well, not only that, Artie's gone through some sort of demon puberty or something," Katharine says. The twins race ahead of us, the sound of their steps pounding off the walls.

"You take me for a sucker. You serious?"

"I never joke about demon puberty," Katharine replies solemnly. Okay. I missed these guys. Demon puberty is not a subject that comes up very often.

"Yeah, Artie's all moody and he grew a foot taller. He's unbelievably hostile," Waldo said, and then I heard a sound, the banging of metal on metal coming from the engine room.

"JESUS ARTIE, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?" Waldo pushed past me and slid down the bannister for the rest of the steps, Katharine following close behind.

I got there last. Holy hell, is that Artie?

Artie is now seven and a half feet tall. He's got on this baggy green hoodie pulled up so I can't see his face. No wings, either, just a maniacal white smile with black blood running from a crack in his lip. Artie's locked in battle with Noodle.

"Go Artie go! Kick her ass!" Ditto shouts, and I clip him on the shoulder.

Artie gets hit to the stomach, and then a kick to the face. He's down, and Noodle goes for her gun. I can't do anything, I stretch out my hand, and bang. There it goes.

There he goes.

Artie glares, snarling like a feral animal, and lunges, fingernails out. I can see his black blood staining the back of his hoodie. Noodle staggers back, and Artie knocks her down, pinning her on her back and ripping up her stomach.

"Artie! Down! Do you know what that looks like?" Waldo shouts, but Artie stops for a different reason.

Motor oil is pooling from a wound on Noodle's shoulder. Artie stares at her, his eyes flicking from her eyes to her shoulder. He slowly backs off her, pulling back his hood, showing a dripping wound on the side of his face. Noodle tilts her head to the side, and puts her hand to Artie's face, on the bleeding part.

It's somewhat beautiful. Demon boy and Robogirl.

"Jeez, Artie! Do you know how much blood you lost?" Waldo asks.

Shrug.

"I'm so sure. I don't care if you'll heal over in five minutes, do you know how worried I was?"

Eyebrow raise.

"Don't give me attitude! Now, I want you to stay down here and clean this up! All of it!"

Growl.

"Like I care. Get going. Oh, by the way, we found Gina."

Artie looks at me, purple eyes wide, and then he does something unexpected. He flips me off. "Fuck you back," I respond, giving him my own finger signal.

Artie flips his hoodie back up, shrinking into a little shadow. Artie gets up, and starts looking for cleaning supplies. Noodle tugs on his sleeve, and they head off together.

I'm not too worried. I mean really? Noodle and Artie? I don't think they'll end up, y'know, fucking.

At that moment, the door opens, illuminating 2D.

"Wot's going on? Who're awl yew lot?"

I credit shock, Taz credits quick reactions, and everybody else credits fear of getting in between a rabid twelve-year-old fangirl and her idol.

"KYAHHHH! HOLY SHIT IT'S 2D! I'M SUCH A HUGE FAN!"

I wish I could print that bigger. All caps doesn't nearly do it justice. It was so loud, Artie jumped and banged his head on a duct, nearly giving him a skull fracture. Waldo flinched so bad it resembled an epileptic seizure. Katharine clapped her hands over her ears, and Ditto gasped.

Both twins bolted for 2D, mile a minute hurricanes, not entirely unlike Martha Steward on speed. Taz grabs onto 2D's arm, talking about his music and how much she likes him, while Ditto hangs back, not saying anything and smiling madly.

"Oh. There's kids here," is the only words poor 2D gets to say.

I pull Taz and Ditto away, both of them fighting me with everything they've got and I try to talk to 2D.

"I didn't know yew 'ad kids!"

"They're not mine! Left is Taz and right is Ditto. They really like you."

"They're cool. You guys want me autograph?"

This shocks both into silence. They both just nod.

2D ends up signing both kids butterfly knives. He doesn't seem too fazed about children carrying weapons. He just signs away.

"So yew guys awl friends?" he asks, perfectly friendly.

I answer no as everyone else answers yes.

2D goes to confusion. I just sigh.

"C'mon, we'll walk up together. I've got some stuff that you should probably know," I say, not entirely knowing how he'll take this.


	12. O Fearless leader

2D is somewhat fine with me being a Repo Demon. It shocked the hell out of me, which made him smile. His smile made me feel looser, somewhat okay.

_That's honestly pathetic, you know that?_

So? I'm cured by love. It'd be fucking awesome if it wasn't so cliched.

We trek back up the stairs, with Artie and 2D in tow. Artie's stays silent the entire way up, no matter how much I try to talk to him. The twins chatter inanely with 2D, and Waldo and Katharine start talking about jobs in Belarus and Minsk.

We finally all get back up to Murdoc's study. Murdoc glares at 2D, but doesn't say anything. Katharine sits down on the floor, Waldo sits on Murdoc's desk, the twins pile onto a couch and I snag an armchair. We're killers, we don't need to ask to sit down.

"Mmm! Gina! Gina! You listeneeng to me?" Ditto says out of the blue.

"I am now, Kiddo. What's up?"

Ditto fumbles in his pocket before pulling out an orange piece of plastic. Ditto pushes down on a button and a thin strand of metal shoots out one end.

"Oh, cool! What's that?" I ask, half hoping he'll throw it to me so I can see better. Best perk of the job: the toys.

"It's a Transvestite whip!" Ditto responds.

I do everything I can to keep from laughing. Everyone else, not so much. Murdoc bursts out laughing, same with 2D and Katharine. Artie cracks a smile, Waldo stares up at the ceiling, and the twins look confused out of their eleven year old minds.

"What's so funny?" Ditto asks, eyebrows cinching together.

"Tri...Trifestus whip, Ditto. Not transvestite. Jesus," Katharine wheezes, she's laughing so hard. Ditto still looks confused, but if he wants to know what a transvestite is, he can google it.

Once we're all done laughing about Ditto's Transvestite whip, which is a lot longer than you'd think, we all start talking.

"Is Noodle actually dead?"

"What's your middle name?"

"Don't answer that. She'll use it to run a credit check."

"Where's Russell? Is he dead too?"

Katharine's making eyes at Murdoc, and she moves to sit with him, even though Murdoc's sitting in a one person armchair. If Katharine's got one fatal flaw, it's the fact that she's a slut. I'm being honest. Katharine was either a pole dancer or a hooker or something before she died. We don't really talk about it much.

* * *

><p>"Hey, how'd you guys find me?" I ask, waiting for a response to anyone.<p>

"The guys on the boat with you died. Guess where they ended up," Katharine responds, leaning in close to Murdoc.

"Goddammit." is my only response.

"Exactly," Waldo says, leaning back.

* * *

><p>"So how'd you end up here?" Katharine asks Murdoc, eyelids half lowered and with a half smile. Honestly. I'd do that too, but it's Murdoc. I wonder if that'd work on 2D?<p>

"Well, this's been here for a while, Katharine, righ'?"

"Yup. I'm Katharine," she responds.

"Well, in a shooting for one of our Music Videos, El Manana, somefin went wrong," Murdoc explained, pausing. He probably thought that Katharine was the only one listening, since the rest of us have mastered chatter. Chatter is when you just talk to someone, usually a simple conversation to give the illusion that you're not eavesdropping when really, you are.

"Really? What happened?" Katharine purred.

"Well, luv, the island went down, and Noodle, she just...she wos gone. She jumped off or sommat."

"Oh. She committed suicide?" Katharine asked, tilting her head to one side. "I gesso. She jumped, tons of blithering idiots thought she had a parachute but she didn't. She seemed alroight to me, but then she just jumped. That's it. Been tellin' press she's in the Maldives. Been lookin' for her everywhere, Kat, just anything to help me find tha' poor girl..." Murdoc trailed off, staring at the ceiling.

"Bullshit," 2D whispers.

The atmosphere goes bad fast. "Got somefin to say, Faceache? Go on, spit it out. Wot've ya figured out?" Murdoc asks, tensing. Katharine flicks her eyes to Waldo, then to me. She wants our help if it turns ugly.

"I said that's Bullshit, Muds. Yew didn't look for her."

"I looked!"

"For how long? YEW ONLY LOOKED FOR A MONTH! A GODDAMN MONTH, MUDS! DID SHE EVEN MATTER TO YOU?" 2D's gone to screaming, standing up, and I have a feeling I should just let him scream.

"Ya weren't even smart enough to look! We were outta money!"

"Oh, roight, yeah, money's more important our Noodle!"

Murdoc's had enough, he gets up, shoving Katharine to the floor, and strides over to 2D. 2D backs up a step, but then he's fine.

Well, he's fine until Murdoc starts whaling on him.

* * *

><p>I count three punches, a knee to the groin, and a kick while he's down.<p>

Murdoc continues his dramatic streak by storming up the stairs to the roof.

"You. Go fetch. We need that one," Waldo points to me, then to the steps to the roof. "Why me?" I ask. "Because, judging by what I've just seen, both of you are the same sort. Y'know, overly aggressive and moody."

"Gee. Thanks."

"Y'welcome, Miss Crazy Bitch. Get going."

* * *

><p>"Hey, Murdoc. Get your ass back downstairs. We need you."<p>

"Go fuck yourself."

I go back downstairs. "He's not coming down any time soon."

Waldo pinches the skin in between his eyes. "Fine. You sit on the stairs and relay messages back and forth," Waldo orders.

"Oh, fuck no. Do it yourself."

Waldo glares at me, and then scans the floor, looking for something. He sees Ditto holding onto the Ink Squid, and takes it from him.

"Hey! Dude, what the fuck?"

"Trust me on this," Waldo explains, placing the squid on his head. I figured Waldo would eventually snap, but not any time soon.

"I, Waldo, declare myself Squid Head Leader!"

"Waldo, goddammit, what the hell?"

Waldo ignores me, and goes on with his speech. "And since I am Squid Head Leader, I declare that Gina Namguyen shall sit on the stairs in between Murdoc and us, Team Awesome, and relay information," Waldo says, pushing his glasses up his nose. Everybody else starts laughing. It's hard to take Waldo seriously when he's being the biggest idiot known to man.

"Waldo, quit-"

"THE GREAT SQUID HEAD LEADER has spoken. Gina is to sit on the stairs."

"Seconded!" Katharine says.

"Who's side are you on?"

"Thirded!" 2D shouts.

"Carried!" Taz and Ditto shout together.

Oh my God. Stupid Democracy.

I go to sit on the stairs, with my legs hanging over the edge. Waldo doesn't take the squid off his head.

"So...on with the conversation?" Ditto says, acting like keeping a squid on one's head is perfectly normal. "Yew guys are awesome!" 2D says happily, probably forgetting that we snap necks for a living. "Oh we know, but seriously, we need to figure something out," Katharine says. "We've got a con in a few weeks, you coming, Gina?" Waldo asks.

I know they all expect me to say yes, but I'm not the same person.

"No."

**(This is going swimmingly. Same with my other story. That poor squid, it suffers so much abuse at my hands. I know that the El Manana incident story is wrong, but from what I've heard nobody really knows what's going on. Just deal with it. And if you do know how the El Manana incident worked out, tell me. Thanks for reading so far!)**


	13. Plots, plans, and Venom Attacks

"What? Gina, don't be stupid, it's a job in Minsk. You love Minsk."

"I'm not going!"

"Wot's going on?" Murdoc called down from the roof.

"I'm turning down a job in Minsk!"

"Why?" Murdoc asked.

"To stay here!"

There was a brief silence.

"TAKE HER TO MINSK! I DON'T WANT HER HERE!"

Waldo laughed, and tried to cover it by coughing.

"So no to Minsk. Any reason why?" Katharine asks, raising an eyebrow. "I'm not going anywhere. I like it here."

"We need you back."

"Too bad. Get Rio to fill my spot."

I get up off the stairs, and start leaving.

"Wait!"

Taz shouts after me.

"One last job. One job, and then you can go, a'ight?" Taz asks, holding up a hand.

I consider it. It's a good deal. One last one, and then I walk.

"What's the job?"

Taz smiles maniacally.

"We're getting back Noodle."

* * *

><p>"Getting her back from where?" I ask. "Gina! Wot's happening?" Murdoc calls, standing at the top of the stairs. "Fuck off for a minute, 'kay? Getting Noodle back from where?" I look at Taz. Taz is lit from the inside, smiling hugely, and she reminds me of...me. When I was that age. Except she isn't mixed up in drugs.<p>

"Hell. Duh. _Estùpida_. We just have to go get her."

"Oi, Bitch!"

"SHUT UP MURDOC! Taz, Kiddo, do you know how freakin' risky that is?"

"Yeah. But dude, come on, we'll be changing the history of the game!"

I've never done something like this before.

"We're gonna need to case it first."

Taz smiles, pushing her short black hair out of her eyes.

"Uh huh."

"We'll need toys."

"We already got some."

"Okay...now. Everybody else, are we seriously stupid enough to hit Hell?" I turn, looking at Waldo and Katharine.

"I'm in," Ditto says, raising a hand.

Artie also raises a hand. "This is a bad idea. We're gonna get caught. And killed," Katharine says, forever the logical one.

"Never stopped us before. I'm in," Waldo says, still wearing that poor squid on his head. I feel pity for that thing.

Katharine still looks undecided.

"Kat-" I start to say.

"You know what? I'm in. Let's go commit suicide," Katharine says, raising her hand. Gotta love the optimism.

* * *

><p>"So, where are you guys staying?" I ask, then kick myself for it. <em>Yeah, they're staying at the underwater hilton. Grow a brain.<em>

"Waldo's got a yacht thing," Ditto says, looking at patterns in the floor.

"A...yacht thing?"

"Yeah. You were away."

"Oh. Okay then. See you tomorrow."

The lot of them get the hint and clear out.

"Hey, Gina?" 2D asks.

"What's up?"

"Why're yew staying here?" 2D asks. BOOM. Way to freaking go, 2D. "I wanna stay here with you guys," I answer. _Mostly with you._

"Roight, yeah. Why?"

"Um...I dunno. It's hard to explain. Being around Gorillaz sort of balances me out, I guess."

_You pathetic bumblefuck. Is that what you call an excuse?_

Listen, you, I'm under enough stress as is.

_Tell him the real reason. Or I will. And you know I like things to work._

2D nods. He doesn't believe me. "Well, I'm not stewpid, Gina. You're different around us," 2D pauses, and I can tell he would've said 'around me.'

Not the feelings talk right now please God in Heaven or Satan in hell please...

"And you're not poisonous at awl. The Venom, Gina, it's a problem. Yew need to talk to somebody," 2D asks nicely, but Oh Baby, here comes the noise. I hate it when people say that I need to talk to somebody, and I do, I know. But no. Other people, schizos and wackos need it more than I do.

So don't tell me to fucking TALK to somebody or I'll make you eat your teeth.

_FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!_

Shut up.

* * *

><p>"D, hon, I'm not talking about this now."<p>

"Then when? This is a problem for yew, I can tell."

"Sweetheart, if you don't shut up about it, it's gonna be your problem too," I snap. Shit! Shit. Get outta here, Venom. I like him, and I don't want you poisoning what we have.

_Poisoning what YOU have, more like._ Venom runs a tongue over it's teeth, cracking joints and preparing to pounce. "Gina, fine. Yew don't have to see someone. Just talk to me. Don't get me wrong, I fink the Venom's cool," 2D says, grinning at me.

Venom skids to a halt.

_What was that? Ohh, this is gonna be good._

"What?"

"I know it's tough for yew, sorta weird and drainin' and awl, but it's awesome. I mean, remember when Murdoc was being a bastard? And yew just...used the Venom to shut 'im down!" 2D says, nodding.

Venom. Venom attack. That was months ago, Christ, this guy has no idea.

"D, listen to me-"

"So it's not really that bad, loike. It just needs a direction-"

Venom's coating my tongue, tastes like battery acid, muscles tighten, Venom runs fingernails down my nerves...

_He's an idiot._

Stop it. I like this one.

_You tried to stop him. You tried, and you failed. Shove over. My turn. _

* * *

><p>"HEY! Faceache, shut up, 'kay? You obviously have no fucking idea what you're talking about, so just shut your goddamn face. If it's so cool, why don't you get it? I've seen the pills you're on. How about the universe cuts me some fucking slack and I get to be doped up on Ritalin and Zoloft and Dexedrine! And YOU can be emotionally tormented, just snapping at the touch of a damn button, and you can name YOUR INNER DARKNESS AFTER A FUCKING SUPERVILLAIN! HOW DOES THAT SOUND TO YOU?"<p>

It feels so good to get it out. Up and up, watch him flinch.

Then down. You fall so fast. I am tense, overexcited, depressed, anxious, and nauseous.

I stare down at the carpet, count to twenty. Then I steel myself and look back.

2D's honestly close to tears.

"Hey, D, I-"

"Fuck yew."

"I'm so sorry!" I wail, and start crying. 2D pulls me into a hug. "Yew don't know what it's loike, luv. I lost Newdle, and I cared about her so much. I cared 'bout her so hard, and I can't bring her back. Then I'm stuck on this island for three monfs, underwater with that damn...whale watching me. I screwed up so bad, luv, she didn't even want to do the shoot, she didn't, and I said she had to, that she should because it'd be so good..." 2D wipes the back of his hand over his eyes. I know he's got eyes back there somewhere.

Hopefully.

"Hey, D. I promise I'll get her back. Pinky promise, babe, those things are serious."

2D laughs a bit, then entwines his pinky with mine.

"I'll get her back safe, promise."

2D doesn't say anything, which just makes me worry.

**(Gina's back in action. And Back in Character. I don't like her all Lovey-Dovey and Venom-free. It's strange. Sorry this took so long, I was trying my hardest to get it right. I'm not Beta-ing at all, and I really should. Feh. Whatever. Read, review, repeat. Or not. You should know how this goes.) **


	14. Food Poisoning

Next day, I get a grand tour of the yacht. Waldo's christened the thing the "S.S. Enterprise."

Murdoc thought it was funny. Sort of. Murdoc insisted on coming aboard with me because "these fucking loonies'll try ta take ya away when I've got my back turned." Remarkably, nobody took offense to that. The twins certainly didn't. They were in the presence of one of their idols. Murdoc doesn't like them too much. He hates that they're children, and _mexican_ children to boot. Murdoc uses them to fetch him stuff.

"Oi! Twin A! Get me a beer!"

"Yessir! Right away boss!"

Twin A is Taz, and Twin B is Ditto. They look identical, especially since Taz is flat chested and Ditto sports the same short spiky haircut as she does. Ditto's left handed. That's one of the ways. It's certainly the easiest way.

* * *

><p>The yacht is pretty nice, with wood floors and a pool, but a sort of Nouveux rich feel emanates through here. "It's okay," I finally say to Waldo while the group of us are wandering down a hallway. "You haven't seen the best part yet!" Taz says, walking backwards in front of us.<p>

Murdoc decided to stay on the boat's deck (Is that what it's called? I don't boat. I know how to fly a plane. But drive a boat? Hell no) with his beer and Ditto playing servant while I go below deck. Good to know that I'm after alcohol on Murdoc's list of concerns.

"Okay...you ready?" Taz asks me.

"Sure."

A light is flipped, and the entire room is awash in light.

"Holy Motherfuckin' hall of weapons, Batman."

"You got that right."

Everything a mercenary could possibly need. Sneak suits, reversible outfits, and shelves of guns and other weapons.

"Awesooome..." I stretch out the word as I wander past guns, trailing my fingers along them. I've missed this. Just a bit.

Waldo leans heavily against a gun rack. "Pretty cool, right?" he asks, sweat beading on his forehead. His eyes are bloodshot to boot. I jumped to conclusions.

"You been smoking weed or what?"

"No, Gina. I'm just a bit...sick. Food poisoning," Waldo snapped, rubbing a palm over his forehead. "You look awful," I say, watching him. "Well thanks! Just what I fucking needed!" Waldo says, punching a gun rack.

"Holy! You got PMS too?"

Waldo laughs, but then it turns into a cough. Then the coughs degenerate into a spluttering retch.

"I'm gonna puke," Waldo moans through a half-open mouth, wheezing.

"NO YOU ARE NOT!"

I am not going to be witness to another bout of Waldo being sick. Especially not on ME.

* * *

><p>I grab the back of Waldo's turtleneck (what a fuckin' hipster) and drag him out of the Batman Weapons Hall.<p>

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Down the hall to-urp-the left. I'm gonna be sick, Gina."

I don't even respond, just drag Waldo like I'm dragging a dead hooker into a river.

Shove Waldo into a bathroom and listen to the poor guy puke his guts out.

"Jesus! You been binge drinking?"

"_BLURRRGH._ No. I haven't been drinking."

"Is this an allergic reaction to arsenic or something? Wouldn't be the first time."

"Why don't you go fu-oh shit. _BLURRRRRGH._"

Then Waldo screamed embarrassingly high, "I'm vomiting blood! I'm dying!"

No. I'm not losing this guy.

Waldo's covered in black blood, but it's shot through with dark blue. "Easy there, it's okay. You're gonna puke for a bit then sleep for a very long time," I tell him, trying to reassure him, but it turns out badly.

"I don't wanna die yet!"

"Shut up! God. Okay, this happened to me when I got to this island, alright? I was fine, and thus you'll be fine. Don't be a pansy," I almost throttle the guy.

Waldo looks thoughtful. "Really?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Well, there has been a lot of, just a minute, _BLURRGH._ Demonic activity. So that's probably reacting badly with our blood."

"Oh yeah?"

"Hold that thought. _BLURRGH._ I think so."

I mull that over. "Huh."

"Yep."

There's a silence, punctuated by Waldo puking his guts out.

"I'm gonna, just, go back to the island. You okay with that?" I call to him.

"Sure!"

Murdoc's waiting for me on the deck, leaning on a chair. Ditto is leaning over the railing, dry-heaving. "Twin B's sick," Murdoc points out to me. "Thanks for letting me know," I say, trying not to sound bitterly sarcastic. "I'm alright!" Ditto calls, and then pukes over the side of the Enterprise.

"Jesus. Let's get outta here before we catch somefin' eh?" Murdoc says. "Bye Mr. Niccals!" Ditto shouts, and then his head's back over the side of the boat.

"So you're gonna go on wif this thing?" Murdoc asks me as we head down to the smaller boat that I'll use to get us back to Plastic Beach.

"Yeah dude. Totally," I say, sounding like such an Asian with my engrish and my so American speech.

Murdoc smiles, patting his pockets for cigarettes, finding one, and lighting up. I start the boat, and get us back to Plastic Beach. I'm worried about Operation Final Crusade. There are so many things to go wrong. But I'm in. I'm definitely in.

**(A.N. Argbarg sorry for not updating sooner I wanted to get this right. I will continue this, but just sort of slower. Please leave a review, can be anything really. Hate, Love, random, whatever floats your boat.) **


	15. Deus Exwhatever

I did forget how honestly, completely dysfunctional everyone is.

It's enough to make somebody claw out their eyes and put a bullet in their stomach.

Waldo. Just...God. We'll be plotting something, and Waldo will get up and start pacing and ranting. I'll shift over to take his spot, and then...

"Gina. What're you doing?"

"I just moved over..."

"No you didn't just move over. You stole my spot."

"No I didn't! Look, I'll move back-"

"DAMN IT GINA! YOU'VE THROWN OFF THE ENTIRE SYMMETRY OF THE ROOM!"

"Waldo, please calm down."

"No! You don't understand! Look, Taz is sitting on the floor, right across from you, and there's two people over there, and two people sitting behind you. YOU'RE MAKING THINGS ASYMMETRICAL!"

"YOU STOOD UP FIRST, YOU PRICK! YOU THREW IT OFF FIRST!"

Waldo hates people who wreck his carefully planed out symmetry. Or eat his food. Or wear his clothes and don't wash them. I think he's got OCD, but he swears up and down he doesn't.

* * *

><p>Then there's Katharine.<p>

I didn't expect this either. Katharine's always been so stable-ish. But I walk in, she's making breakfast, and then I see that's she got something on her neck.

"Hey, Kat? What's that?"

"What's what?"

"You got something on your neck...?"

"Oh, Damn! I didn't think Murdoc would bite _that_ hard..."

"WHAT?"

Katharine looks at me with an amused expression.

"What's that supposed to mean?" I ask, shocked. "Well, what do you _think_ it means?" Katharine responds. Oh, okay. This is unexpected.

"You and Murdoc? He's like twice your age!"

"So?"

"...Why'd you do it?"

"Because I could. By the way, do you have dibs on 2D or not? Cuz if not, I want him."

I take a couple deep breaths. "Yes. He's mine."

"Shoot. Oh well."

* * *

><p>Then there's Artie.<p>

I'm getting old. I don't understand that kid at all. He and Cyber-Noodle are fighting all the fucking time, like broken bones and stuff, but they're best friends. Artie's been writing Notes to her, and Cyber-Noodle's been teaching him handwriting. And easy disembowelment techniques.

It's sort of cute, in a messed up, dark, serial killer sort of way. I guess that that's just Artie's M.O.

Then there's the bird thing.

Ditto and Taz have been poppin' round the island, and they found some talking birds. One of them's a morose seagull, and the other one's a cheerful pelican. The twins are quite fond of them, me not so much.

I don't think I'll be able to talk to a seagull again, after I ate one.

Now that we're on the topic of eating seagulls, I should get on to what's been known as "The bird Issue."

We had walked up to the studio-this being me, Waldo, and the twins-debating battle tactics. Waldo opened the door, and it was really dark, and you could hear this sort of hollow crunching noise.

Ditto flicked the lights on. Artie had caught himself a seagull, and was crouched in the middle of the floor eating it. His purple eyes went wide with shock.

"NOO! MR. SEAGULL!" Taz shrieked.

Artie's jaw's clamped together, breaking another bird bone with a hollow crunch.

"Artie, you spit that out right now!" Waldo commanded.

Head shake.

"NOW."

Artie growled, not entirely unlike a Corgi when faced with something that wants to take its food.

Taz started crying.

Venom ground it's teeth, not liking the noise.

I strode over, and tried to take the bird from Artie. Artie snaps his head back like a dog.

"C'mon, Kidlet, I don't have time for this."

_**GRR.**_

"DAMMIT, ARTIE!"

I did manage to get that seagull back.

Well, at least half of it.

* * *

><p>Gah.<p>

But the planning? Oh, it's awesome. There's not a lot of people who can pull off successful Mary Poppins quite like the twins. Or Katharine, but we only play her for that if we need her to get caught. (Case in point: "How'd you get in here? My house was locked!" "I came down the chimney. Ho. Ho." Slides off overcoat, providing a great distraction. "Ho.")

Waldo's OCD comes in handy sometimes. He can plan things down to the minute.

But he's a total idiot.

"Hey, instead of doing a million small things, how about we do one BIG thing?"

This sounds like a good idea. At first.

"Like what?"

"I'm thinking...Deus Ex Machina?"

I nearly choke. "You are kidding, right?"

"It's a distraction, and we need a distraction!" Waldo says, grinning. What a dumbass.

"Wot's that now?" 2D asks. I didn't even know he was here.

"A D.E.M. is where you blow up a church in the name of Hell. It gives the Angels a good excuse to wage war against the demons. It also provides a hell of a distraction."

2D mulls this over. "That's great and awl, but what's a Deus Ex..thing?"

Somehow, I can't be mad at this guy. But Waldo? Why yes, I can flip out on him on a daily basis.

* * *

><p>So we make plans for breaking into Hell, just to case the thing.<p>

"When're ya goin'?" Murdoc asks us. He's been unimpressed with us. He thought we'd be like James Bond, with pants that turn into jam and watches that kill people.

We're closer to...the three stooges.

2D thinks we're awesome though. It'd be a lot better if Katharine would quit trying to grope him.

"Three nights from now."

Waldo sounds so nonchalant. "That soon?" I ask.

"Yep. We can travel Fabulously. It's an easier way to get to Hell."

"We ready?" I ask. Waldo just raises an eyebrow.

"Are we ever?"

"Point taken. I'll spread the word."

**(A.N. This is going...slowly. As I've said, I've got another one going, and it's witty too. It's hard having two witty stories. I need bigger depths of wit! But anyway, if the going gets tough, I'll try to update at least once a month. Review? At this point I don't really care. I mean, they're nice, but I'm not gonna hold chapters hostage. Will update as much as I can. The author.) **


	16. Murphy's Law

Just like that, everything kicked into high gear. Artie quit disappearing, Katharine put on her high heels and a pageant smile, and the Twins started doing more pushups.

We started organizing like people possessed. This pleased Murdoc to no end, because finally we were secret agents. FINALLY he had his own Bond squad.

We even tested the earpieces.

"You hear that?" Waldo shouted up a flight of stairs.

I didn't hear a damn thing, except for static. "Nope!"

There was some muttered German curses, and then:

"How about that?"

"Nothing! Try shouting louder, and backing up!"

Waldo tromped further down the stairs, and shoved past 2D, who was walking up.

"'Ello, Gina!"

"Hey, you."

"So, you're actually gonna do this fing?"

"Fuck yeah. Got a cigarette?"

"Uh, yeah, I fink so," 2D replied, patting his pockets. He pulled out an extremely squashed cigarette for me. He gets a lighter out of his pocket and leans in to light it up for me.

"CAN YOU FUCKING HEAR ME NOW?" Waldo screeches in my earpiece. It's followed by a burst of feedback so shrill I drop to my knees.

"Mother_fucker_!"

"Oh! Did that work?"

"Gina, you okay?"

God. I was partially deaf for five minutes.

* * *

><p>But we got everything figured out. Eventually.<p>

"Okay, I got it. Artie, you're going in, and you're gonna pull an Oscar the Grouch on the poor S.O.B. who comes to take out the trash. Take his uniform, and get the twins inside using a Diamond Heist, clear?" Waldo demands, staring Artie down.

Nod nod nod.

"Good. Katharine?"

"I'm pulling a Modest Molly, and playing the desk. I'll be there to escort the Big Guy out when the Twins run a Forrest Gump," Katharine recites. Waldo nods.

"Speaking of which, you two know what you're doing?" I ask the twins.

"Yeah. We goin in wif Artie, using the Diamond Heist. Artie's taking us to the boiler room, and we're gettin in the boiler for a Forrest Gump, cuz we're the only ones short enough to do it," Ditto explains, bored out of his eleven-year-old mind.

"Gina, what'll you being doing?"

I breath in. I know this. "I'll be running a Wizard of Oz in the vents. I'm dropping down into the main office to get the blueprints. In and out. I'll get the prints to Waldo for the Artist Seven Heads Swap," I say, and try to calm down. Venom's crackly, biting and scratching and wanting to go to work.

"Very good!" Waldo says with a German accent. Murdoc's watching us from the sofa, one foot thrown over the back of it and his other foot jittering up and down on the floor. Very sprawly and Murdoc.

"Yes yes yes, that's all well and good, when are you leaving?" Murdoc whines.

"Hey, you wanna come wif us, boss?" Taz asks, giving him bambi eyes.

"Well...I don't know about...you serious? Can I?"

"Psych! Oh my God, you think we'd take you with us?"

Taz doubles over laughing. Murdoc hauls his ass off the couch.

"Don't touch her."

That's all that Katharine has to say. Murdoc stops dead, eyes flicking from the woman he's doing and the smirking, arms-crossed eleven year old girl who defied him.

Katharine plays her final card.

"Whatever you want when we get back."

Murdoc grins lecherously at her, and falls back to the sofa.

"Wait...you're fucking him?" Ditto asks, voice shooting up. Taz goes from smirking to sheer horror. Murdoc sees Taz's face and gets his revenge. "Oh, yes we are. And it's amazing. Luv, you can't even imagine-"

Taz claps her hands over her ears and screams. "I can't hear you I can't hear you lalalala-"

"Wanna know how high she can put her feet? The things your girl can do..."

"LALALALALAALA!"

"Murdoc, stoppit, Jesus!" I command, keeping hold of a now hysterical Taz. Katharine's bright red, but smiling. Waldo's staring at the ceiling, trying not to laugh, and Artie's tuned us out by now.

So we make a plan to travel fabulously.

Some notes about that:

Demonic presences like us can travel Pentagram to Pentagram. That's all Fabulous travel is. However, most people who are into the demonic keep their pentagrams in their closets, leading to the monster in the closet rumors and also that we can travel closet to closet. Traveling closet to closet lead to an awful lot of Gay jokes, hence, 'Fabulous Travel'. I think Gary in accounting coined the term.

We get into what we're gonna be wearing, a dark blue three piece skirted suit for Katharine, a catch-free bodysuit for me, and Taz, Ditto, and Artie wear normal clothes, and all of us get working earpieces. Katharine and Waldo get as many gadgets as they want, and all I get are a USB key, an empty painting cylinder, and a cable to help me climb elevator shafts.

And Gum. I like gum.

Artie's getting started drawing the pentagrams with candle wax. Waldo's working on the runes, and I pull the twins aside.

"Listen, you two. You've never travelled without me before."

"Oh, Christ. She's in mommy mode," Ditto snarks.

"Shut it. Be safe. Be careful, but most important-"

"Get the job done. We know."

I pull the two of them into a hug. Taz hugs me back, and Ditto just squirms.

Artie, done with his pentagram, bounds over and gives us a hug too.

It's nice to see him like this. I wonder if he's fucking Cyber Noodle?

"Get ready," Waldo says. Artie's got each twin in either hand, standing around the smaller pentagram. Murdoc's watching us, smoking.

I glance over at the twins. I've got to let them grow up, but is eleven too young for a no-adult hit?

Waldo starts the incantation, and Katharine squeezes my hand.

Something is going to go wrong. It always does. It's just a question of how bad.

Waldo gets us to Hell in a matter of minutes. Katharine boosts me up, and I head into the vent.

"Look out for motion sensors. Only use your toys when needed, okay?" Katharine reminds me. I just roll my eyes, and hoist myself up.

* * *

><p>There's a pop of static in my ear.<p>

"Gina, you there?"

"Hey, Taz. You in the right spot?"

There's silence, then a horrible crash.

"Taz?"

"Relax, Gina. Artie ate the garbageman."

"Oh, Christ. Was it clean, at least?"

"Oh, fuck yeah, it's like a maid went through here."

"Okay. Over and out."

Artie and the Twins had been hiding in the dumpster. Hell's dumpster is a scary place to be, even more so when an adolescent demon pops out to pull an Oscar the Grouch on you. Artie should hustle the twins into the janitors cart-they're both still small enough to hide in between the garbage bags-and they're in for a Diamond Heist.

(A Diamond Heist is when you smuggle something in or out using garbage bags. It's surprisingly effective at getting rid of hookers.)

* * *

><p>Venom twitches, and pants. I get moving, around the corner, keep my eyes out for motion sensors. I spot one, and stay far away from it.<p>

Head above a cafeteria, an office, and then a boardroom.

I hear Waldo's voice.

"More coffee, sir?"

"Yes, Mr...?"

"Osbourne, sir. Antoine Osbourne."

An Osbourne. Oh Waldo.

Waldo gets to be the eyes of the operation today, keeping tabs on anyone and warning whenever somebody important heads our way. I'm the ears, hiding out of sight, and listening for anything that could cause Murphy's Law to take effect.

I scoot forward, out of earshot of the vent to the boardroom and contact the Twins.

"How's it going, Kiddos?"

"We're into the boiler, and we're just beating the shit out of it."

"So long as Artie's covering up the racket."

Katharine's the looks. Her job is to take over the secretary's job, and make sure that the Red Guy has no idea what's going on.

"Hello, sir? Scotch?"

"Oh, yes, I'd love some, uh..."

Katharine giggles. "Judy, sir. Judy Rothchild." Katharine's probably giving Bambi eyes, and accepting swats to her ass like a true-blue fifties girl. I'm proud of her, I'd probably rip the bastard's arm out of his socket.

Now, I have to go to work. I resist the urge to crack my knuckles. Lying out flat on the bottom of the vent, I go to work.

I wait, ignore the urge to pee, and keep tabs on everything. I watch Katharine work, making everything so lah-ti-dah and relaxed, bringing drinks and making sure that the boiler is not noticed until it's far too late.

Static pops in my ear. "I got it!"

"Get the hell outta there, Ditto."

"Gottitboss."

The sprinklers go off. That's right, appreciate the fire safety codes of Hell.

"What the fuck?"

Katharine screams, and I hear her heels clattering on the floor. The door cracks open, and then somebody calls "The Goddamn boiler blew up!"

Perfect. I resist the urge to rub my hands together.

I drop from the vent, Venom screeching up a symphony, and I go through drawers carefully, carefully, don't disturb anything. Blueprints!

I snatch them, stuff into canvas cylinder, and then I hop back up onto the desk, and back up the vent. Too easy. Easier than killing dictators.

I clamber through the vents, go go go fucking go, when I get to the board room.

I slide the cylinder down through the vent, and Waldo catches it. Seven heads swap, named for the movie Seven Heads in a Duffel bag.

Aren't we _creative?_

* * *

><p>We've got the blueprints, all we need to do is get out.<p>

There's a blare of static and then Taz screaming in my ear.

"Gina! Gina getdafuckouttathere! Now!"

"Whoa! What's up?" I ask, pressing my stomach to the vent. "We got made! Oh my god, they found Katharine's wire and we're all gonna die!"

Fuck. FUCK! FUCKETY FUCK FUCK FUCK!

I clamber through the vents, and finally let the Venom go.

_Ahh. This is nice._

I actually don't give a damn.

_Nobody asked you. Drop us and let us play._

Don't you start with that 'us' shit. I'm not schizophrenic.

_Pssh. Says you. Let's go, bitch!_

I get out of the vent, and land hard, rolling forward onto the balls of my feet. Venom lets out a moan in between my eyes, and I love it.

My high sinks when I realize I forgot the fucking hard drive.

Goddamn!

I sprint back to the main office, and throw myself down behind the desk, plugging in the USB key.

"C'mon c'mon c'mon..." I hiss, keeping one eye on the progress bar and one on the door. Voices are coming, louder as they get closer.

_They're gonna scan the office! You're so fucked!_

Shut UP! I don't need this!

"C'mon! Windows fucking seven! C'mon!" I hiss, and the progress bar inches forward. Sweat is starting to pour down my back. The voices are right outside the door.

Finally, the progress bar leaps, and then finishes. The door opens. I grab the USB and roll under the desk.

I have no gun. I have no weapon. What do I do? What do I do?

_Gina, Gina, Gina. You are your own weapon._ Venom purrs, and readies itself to strike.

I hear footfalls around the desk, and I tense, because I am not backing down easy. I'm not a two-cent gutter slut like Katharine, and I won't get caught.

"G-G-Gina? Is that you?"

"Holy mother of Fuck, Waldo!"

I burst out from under the desk. Waldo's looking like he's gone through the wringer, with one of his glasses lenses cracked and a bad bruise on his forehead.

"Did they hurt you bad?" I ask, fingering the bruise. "Gina, if we don't get outta here, you have no idea of the hurt that's coming. Like, tenth ring of hell, got it?" Waldo snarls. Venom snarls back a string of impressive expletives, but even I know when to sober up and fly straight.

"Got it. I got the stuff, let's go."

Waldo and I crouch by the corner. Waldo's got four shots, I have nothing.

I grind my teeth. I hear the hiss-clicking of full demons around the corner, and I want to kill them all. Venom wants to rip their heads off.

Waldo grabs my arm and hauls me back.

"I swear to God, if you get us killed, I will dig you up, resurrect you, and kill you all over again, capiche?" Waldo whispers, grabbing my face to make me look at him.

"Leggo. Fuck you, let's go!" I hiss, and we bolt down the hall.

"Hey! HEY YOU TWO! STOP!"

I run harder. I get ahead of Waldo, outpacing him.

Bullet punch through the air, and imbed in the wall behind us. Waldo and I are a blur, screaming through Hell. Venom and I, we're unstoppable.

_You are your own weapon._

I sidestep a guard, and take the motherfucker down. I'm standing in a pool of expanding blood, reveling in my own success when Waldo pulls me away.

"C'mon!"

I follow him, and he leads me to a janitor's closet.

We hop in. Pentagram glows green, and we're back to Plastic Beach.

"Well," Waldo pants. "That was fun."

"I got the stuff," I reply.

Waldo nods. "Good job,"

"This is a mistake," I tell him, rising to my knees. Waldo nods. "We have to try. We said we would."

* * *

><p>There's a resounding <em>snap!<em> and Taz, Ditto, and Artie pile in on top of us.

"Hey!"

"Move!"

"You move!"

_Grrrr._

"I've got the plans. Now all we need is Katharine and we're good," I tell them. Taz and Ditto shriek with happiness, leaping up into a victory dance. I'm too exhausted to do anything right now. Venom is not here to play.

There's a final crack, and an envelope drops to the floor. It lands with a sticky squelching noise.

Uh oh. I know that sound.

"Taz, Ditto, go wait in the hall," Waldo says.

"Awww!" Taz whines.

"But boss!" Ditto moans.

"NOW! GET OUT!"

Neither need to be told twice. Both mexican kids skedaddle.

I raise myself to my feet, ignoring the aches.

"What'd they send?" I ask apprehensively. Waldo picks the envelope and cracks it, grimacing.

"And?"

"Gina, I'm so sorry."

I walk closer, Venom stirring. "What is it?"

"It's her heart. She's not coming back. I'm so sorry."

Oh, God. Katie. Katharine. Katharine's dead. I raise my hand to my mouth. Artie whimpers, high and childlike.

"Fuck," I whisper, "She was my friend."

"We can't do this with five," Waldo responds. "We're gonna have to call it off."

"No!" I react, grabbing his upper arm. "We promised!" I shout, thinking of 2D. He wants Noodle back. Everybody needs Noodle back. Gorillaz isn't Gorillaz without that girl.

"I'm sorry, Gina, but how many more lives does it take?" Waldo asks sadly.

He's right.

"We'll just have to tell Murdoc tomorrow," I murmur, staring down at the floor, crushed by defeat.

**(A.N. I'm back. It's good to be back. Don't expect regular updates, I have to ease myself back into this one.)**


	17. Still in

I yank open the door, and watch the twins turn to me.

"Hey, boss, Gina, what's up?"

"Where's Katharine?"

"What happened?"

I get down on my knees, and the twins come to me, eyes wide. "What happened?" Taz asks, already starting to put the pieces together. I can't speak. My throat swells shut.

Ditto gives me a hug, his sister close behind. We're all crying, and I don't have to say anything to know she's not coming back.

"It's not fair! She was our friend!" Ditto sobs into my shoulder.

I pull them so close to me, like if I loosen my grip they'll die too. "Listen, you two are easily the most important thing in my life. If anything happens to you two, I'll kill myself, I swear," I promise the two of them, making sure they hear every word.

"Gina, I know...I know you can't have the babies...but you always be my mom, 'kay?" Taz tells me, face swelling up with tears.

"Me too. Love you, Gina, you crazy bitch," Ditto says.

God. It's enough, it's enough. Venom slinks back into a dark corner, and everything's perfect. I've got the two of them and I will never let anything hurt them.

* * *

><p>Murdoc strolls around the corner, and starts at the three of us. "Christ, who died?" he asks, partially joking.<p>

We're all silent. The news sinks in. Murdoc's face registers the shock.

"Satan...Katharine? Katharine...?" Murdoc whispers, because not even he can say it, because she was so flirty and loose and goddamn _alive_ three hours ago.

But now she's nothing more than a heart in a paper bag.

"Yeah, asshole, she's fucking dead. Get over it, it wasn't our fault," Taz snaps, running her hand over her eyes.

Murdoc takes a step backwards. Then he flicks his gaze to me. It's unsettling. Normally I know how guys look at me, with attention focussed solely on me, and the absence of attention on everything else.

"Can I talk ta ya?"

"Stay here," I tell the twins, and they fall into Spanish.

"So, Kitty's dead, innee?" he asks, leaning on a wall once we're out of Taz and Ditto's earshot. "Yeah. We have proof, too," I tell him, thinking of the paper bag.

Murdoc runs a hand over his face. "So the thing's off, then? Ya can't get Noods back wif only you guys, right?" Murdoc asks.

"Oh, right, you don't care about _Katharine_, you only care about your stupid _band!"_

"Hey! You watch your fuckin' mouth! I put up with ya while ya were sick, didn't I?"

"So'd my dad, but I hate that bastard too," I hiss, stepping closer.

"I ain't your daddy, princess. I'm only keepin' you 'round here coz you'll get Noods back, understand?" Murdoc snarls at me.

"I can't get your girl back. She's gone!"

"Yeah? I bet if it was one of those filthy mexican brats out there ya'd be out there in a heartbeat!"

_That bastard! THAT FUCKING BASTARD! _

My fist flies towards Murdoc, it's not a punch, it's just a slap with knuckles.

Murdoc reels back, touching his lip where I've drawn blood.

"Now you listen to me, you asshole. If you really loved Noodle, you'd go find her yourself, instead of hiring me!" I spit, Venom powering every word.

"I TRIED TA FIND HER!" Murdoc shouts at me, raising his voice.

"LIKE _FUCK _YOU DID! BET YOU A FIVER YOU JUST GOT SCARED OF HELL AND RAN HOME CRYING!" I screech, because it's so true, and nobody comes after my kids like that.

"I'VE BEEN THROUGH SHIT YOU WON'T EVEN COME BACK FROM, KID! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT I'VE BEEN THROUGH!" Murdoc howls, and hits me. He hits me hard, too. I fall back against the wall, and Murdoc gets me in the stomach.

I keel over, and Murdoc stamps on my fingers. I curl up, Venom's starting to recede, leaving me weepy and useless and I just want to give up and die. My nose is running, and my vision's started going unreliable.

Murdoc starts kicking me, cuban boots running into my face over and over, and I don't even give a damn.

Suddenly, Murdoc's not there anymore. "Stop it, Muds! Yew're hurting her!"

"She's a bitch, Faceache! Did ya hear what she just fuckin' said ta me?" Murdoc spits, trying to break away to get back to me.

It's D. 2D just saved my ass.

2D pulls Murdoc back, and he rushes over to me. My stomach goes fluttery, and I try to tamp down on it. "Yew alrigh', luv?" he asks, touching the new bruising on my face. My skin tingles where he touches it.

"Don't worry, my dad used to hit me harder than that," I tell him, smiling. Murdoc rolls his eyes.

"So how'd the fing go?" he asks, eyes widening way back in his sockets. My smile falters. "Uh...we can't do it," I tell him, and then watch his face fall. "That's okay...I mean, maybe she'll come back on her own?" 2D asks, voice full of empty hope.

God, I don't want to be here. I'd rather be back at home than here.

"Well...I could hypothetically do it, if I get more people," I say tentatively. 2D brightens immediately. "Yew think so?" he asks. "Yeah, I guess so," I say, feeling happy expand in my stomach. It makes me happy to see him happy.

"Yay! Yew're still in?" 2D asks me, hauling me to my feet. I answer as honestly as I can.

"If you're still in, I'm still in."

2D smiles, gap teeth and all. Then he does the best thing, he pulls me into a hug.

I freeze up, instinctively, but I soften into it, and manage to wrap my hands around him.

Eventually he lets me go and goes bounding off to do whatever on God's green earth he does in his free time. I wave as he leaves.

"Well, well, well..."

Is Murdoc still here? I turn right into the old man's stupid smirking face.

"Ya don't hold me like that."

"Maybe if you didn't try to kick my teeth in, I would, ever think of that, Mr. Smart American?"

"I'm english, babydoll," Murdoc reminds me. "Feh. Like I care. All you white people look the same," I tell him, leaning next to him on the wall.

I run my hand over the new bruises on my face. That was a pretty bad one, and I put on a show for 2D, but I haven't been hit like that since prison.

Don't pretend to be surprised. You would've been more surprised if my record was clean, right?

Maybe...Murdoc's got his own Venom? Lighter than mine, but still some.

No, don't be stupid. Venom isn't like being double-jointed, it's a bad thing.

"So...you and faceache, huh?" Murdoc asks, pulling a cigarette out of his shirt pocket. "No. Fuck no. There's nothing going on," I snap, but Murdoc senses weakness and goes for it.

"Oh, poor girl, your knight in shining armor is dimmer than a goldfish."

"Go get fucked," I suggest.

"Only if you'll do it," Murdoc responds, managing to expel smoke, chuckle darkly, and grin lecherously at me at the same time. My skin crawls. "Don't do that. You're only supposed to flirt with Katharine," I remind him, and it hits me again, that she's DEAD.

"Welp, she's gone, and you're nearby..." Murdoc sidles closer to me. I take two steps away. "No. No. Go away," I command, because Murdoc just beat my ass, there's no way I'm letting him tap it too.

"By the by, Babydoll, when're you planning to tell your kids, your mongrel demon and the ironic arsehole about the change of plan?" Murdoc asks me, taking a drag.

Oh crap.

"Oh shit!"

"Better start planning that team meeting!" Murdoc says, turning me around and sending me back to Waldo with a nice slap on the ass to accompany it. Lovely.

**(A.N. This doesn't even go anywhere. It's just a bridge chapter. Whatever. Mostly it was just to practice Murdoc and 2D's personality again, did I get it right? Fret fret fret.) **


	18. You can't fight in here

"You did _WHAT?"_

"Listen, Waldo, I'm fucking sorry, but I'm going through with it."

Waldo is red, shaking with rage, and it's just like my childhood between me and my dad. But this time I sure as hell ain't gonna lose.

"We don't have enough people! You fucking moron!" Waldo hisses, and I can tell, he's upset about Katharine, he's exhausted, and he's scared.

"Jesus, Gina, what were you thinking?" he asks, leaning on a couch. _Yeah, Gina,_ Venom asks, curling around my shoulders, _what_ _were_ _you thinking?_

_You think he'll choose you? You are nothing, a tattooed whore with no future. He'll never pick you, and if he does, then he won't be happy with you._

You're wrong. I'll go through with Operation Holy Fuck and I'll win and he'll...he'll know, okay? He'll know, and then...

_Yeah, yeah yeah, spare me. Get married, move into a big house and fill it with kids. OH WAIT. You can't have them. How's that feel?_

I shut my eyes against the burn of Venom.

"We can't do it, even. Arrgh!" Waldo groans.

There's a screech, and Waldo and I clamp our hands over our ears. Artie raises his fingernails off the window, and looks over at us. Once he sees we're watching, he lopes over to the desk, fumbling for a marker. After grabbing one, he lopes back to the window to scrawl out a message.

**Pay attention to me.**

"Artie, what's going on?" I ask, because I remember when he was younger, I do, and I wish I wasn't me, I wish Venom would stay away from him.

There's a way to pull this off. Artie's writing loops and scrawls, looking akin to something of Michael J. Fox. He looks back at us, checking to see if we're watching.

"What?" Waldo asks, stepping in front of me.

**Deus Ex, Changeling Child.**

"That could work. Who could we use as a Changeling? Nobody's that close to Noodle. We'd need exact weight, exact height..." Waldo trails off.

There's a silence.

"Oh, God, Artie, you don't have to do that..." I say, but Artie shakes his head.

He pulls his hood up, and slouches off to say goodbye.

* * *

><p>After we all manage to assemble in the same place, Murdoc on the couch, 2D sitting on the floor with the twins, me on the arm of the couch as far away from Murdoc as possible, Artie perched on the window ledge next to Cyber-Noodle, and Waldo's standing in the middle of all of us, commanding attention.<p>

"Listen up! Gina's officially killed all of us by going on with the plan. Anybody have a problem with that?" Waldo asks the group.

Yes, I'm tired. I'm tired after Venom outbursts and after breaking into hell and after having one of my friends die. But Waldo's words, they cut, man, they cut me deep. They cut me until I bleed, black and insidious. I bleed pure hate, and it's coming right for you.

_That's the spirit. The game has started._

Venom leaks into my eyes, blurring my vision when I turn to Waldo. "Listen, man, if you've got a problem with me, stop being so goddamn passive-aggressive. 'Kay?" I try not to snarl, but it still sounds aggro to me.

"Yeah, because you'd know all about aggression, wouldn't you?" Waldo retorts, staring me down.

Oh, no. Nuh uh.

_TAKE THAT BITCH DOWN A PEG!_

Venom floods through me, and I shoot through the roof in a puff of smoke. Venom takes me up among the stars, and then lets me fall.

"Hey, Waldo! You fucking listen for two seconds, yeah? I've had a bit of a DAY with my BEST FUCKING FRIEND getting her HEART carved out, y'know!" I snap, striding forward, deaf to the gasps of the twins.

"It still doesn't excuse what you did!" Waldo snaps.

"WE CAN STILL DO IT!"

"HOW MANY MORE OF US DO YOU WANT TO KILL, _BITCH?"_

_You do not take that from anyone!_ Venom hisses in my head, and my fist flies forward, fully intending to take Waldo to the carpet.

Murdoc grabs my arm, holding me back. "Murdoc-! Let! GO!" I growled, fighting him.

Murdoc doesn't say anything, just pins my arm to my side. I fight him, turning and twisting trying to get my arm back.

Murdoc pulls my face closer to his, and even though I'm bristling, Venom screaming at me to fight, Murdoc manages to get a grip on my face. He squeezes hard where bruises are already starting to form, and whispers one word to me.

"...No."

Venom seems to dissipate out of my pores. My shoulders slump. Oh, God. My head snaps forwards, and there's this rush of useless emotion, sadness and self-hate brewing up, pooling sluggishly under my skin.

"Oh, God..." I groan, and my knees give out.

* * *

><p>"Got her!" Murdoc calls, catching me. He bends his knees with me, so that we end up sitting together. My head lolls back, Jesus, I'm so tired, somebody make all this go away, please...<p>

"Not so tough, huh, Babydoll?" Murdoc's alcohol breath creeps across the back of my neck. Then, speaking to the whole group, "So. Wot're ya gettin done, then?"

Waldo picks up the slack. "Gina...Gina's running this."

The hell I am. Murdoc seconds this thought. "There's no way she's runnin' a damn thing. Can't even handle herself, looks of it."

"Get...bent, asshole!" I hiss. Murdoc laughs at me, pulling me into his lap. I try to squirm away, but Murdoc's got a grip on both my wrists now, and in my current state of emotional sludge, I'm not going anywhere.

"Muds, cut it out. Yew're botherin' her," 2D says, not moving from his spot on the floor next to the twins. "Then why don't you do something 'bout it, Faceache?" Murdoc asks, jerking my right arm forward like I'm a puppet. I respond the only way I know how. I lean over and chomp Murdoc's arm.

_"AAOOW!_ Little bitch!" Murdoc yells, throwing me to one side, still keeping a grip on me.

"Focus, everyone! Gina, no biting. Listen, maybe we can do this. We'll have to sacrifice Cyber-Noodle, and-"

Murdoc cuts through Waldo's speech. "No. Noods is stayin' here. I might need 'er for somefin."

"For what?" Taz asks.

"Hell, dude, you can keep Gina. Trade you!" Ditto says, sharing a high five with his sister.

"Okay, fine. What's Noodle's height and weight?" Waldo asks, running a hand through his hair.

Murdoc and 2D exchange looks. "Uh.." 2D stalls, trying to think.

"Do you have any of her clothes?" Waldo asks.

"Yeaah, we do! They're...they're in a box! Somewhere..." Murdoc trails off, and I manage to get in a word.

"A box, huh? Shouldn't hit the rum so hard."

"Ooh, laugh it up. See what happens," Murdoc says, pressing his lips to the back of my neck. I keep silent. But gross! He's my dad's age! Gross! No! Not good! Not okay!

"Guys! Murdoc, Gina, behave. Or take it to the studio."

"Yeah. You're making me a lez," Taz states.

"He's making _me_ a lez," I retort, trying to move away, but Murdoc folds his arms around me.

Artie takes his marker and waves Waldo over, going over details.

There's some small talk, awkward small talk, and my brain feels like it's been refried.

We stayed up all night, working over particulars. Eventually Murdoc fell asleep, head on the couch, snoring like a motherfucker, and me asleep in his lap. Ditto took a picture.

It was adorable in a way that makes you want to puke.

**(A.N. There is no excuse. Y U NO UPDATE, FANFIC WRITER? All the same, new chapter, can't help but get the feeling that everything's wrong, but it feels better than last time. Listened to The Girl with One Eye by Florence+the Machine. Reminds me of Gina. Thank all of you for reading this far and putting up with my inconsistent updates.) **


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